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Scientists Who Failed to Warn of Quake Found Guilty of Manslaughter
An anonymous reader notes that the BBC reports "Six Italian scientists and an ex-government official have been sentenced to six years in prison over the 2009 deadly earthquake in L'Aquila. A regional court found them guilty of multiple manslaughter. Prosecutors said the defendants gave a falsely reassuring statement before the quake, while the defence maintained there was no way to predict major quakes. The 6.3 magnitude quake devastated the city and killed 309 people." The scientists were first charged more than two years ago.
Nearly every other seismologist in the world would have given the same assessment.
Nonsense. Nearly every other seismologist in the world would have told them that we don't know enough about seismology to make a prediction. But these guys didn't do that. They could have just told the truth, but chose not to.
The verdict was condemned by scientists around the world, several of whom noted that the seismologists themselves never publicly said there was "no danger." But prosecutors pointed out that they didn't immediately refute the statement when it came out. According to the BBC, a lawyer for the defense called Monday's verdict "hasty" and "incomprehensible."
Maybe one of these days you should bother learning what the fuck you're talking about before you talk about it? I know it's a novel idea here on slashdot and all, but fuck. They were sentenced for having their words twisted by a politician. And you're a dipshit.