Petition: Pardon for Mario Roggero — Sign the appeal to the President of Italy

On 15 July 2026 Italy's Supreme Court made final a sentence of 14 years and 9 months for the jeweller from Grinzane Cavour who reacted to an armed robbery in his shop. The law has run its course. We now ask the President of the Republic for an act of clemency.

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Why we ask for a pardon

A lawful sentence. A justice that divides.

On 28 April 2021 three robbers stormed Mario Roggero's jewellery shop in Gallo di Grinzane Cavour, in the province of Cuneo, Italy. They restrained his daughter, threatened to kill his wife and ransacked the shop. It was not the first time: the family had already suffered a violent robbery in 2015, during which his wife and daughter were assaulted and beaten. That afternoon Roggero reacted and fired: two of the robbers died, the third was wounded.

Roggero has always maintained that he acted to defend himself and his family, who were in the shop at that moment. For the prosecution, however, the shots were fired when the danger had already passed, as the robbers were fleeing. On that basis the Court of Assizes of Asti sentenced him at first instance to 17 years (December 2023), ordering him to compensate the robbers' families; the Court of Assizes of Appeal of Turin reduced the sentence to 14 years and 9 months (December 2025). On 15 July 2026 the Supreme Court of Cassation rejected the defence's final appeal: the conviction is now definitive.

The law has been applied. But for very many Italians, justice does not coincide with this sentence. The case has divided the country and reignited the national debate on the boundaries of self-defence.

Mario Roggero is not a criminal: he is a 70-year-old shopkeeper who worked all his life, was attacked twice in his own shop, and reacted in a moment of terror. The presidential pardon — provided for by Article 87 of the Italian Constitution — exists precisely for cases like this: when a sentence, although legally correct, appears humanly excessive.

We ask the President of the Italian Republic to consider granting a pardon, taking into account the exceptional circumstances, his age, his clean record and the history of this case.

The timeline

2015: First robbery at the jewellery shop in Gallo di Grinzane: Roggero's wife and daughter are assaulted and beaten.
28 APR 2021: Three robbers storm the shop: his daughter is restrained, his wife threatened with death. Roggero reacts and fires: two robbers die, the third is wounded.
5 DEC 2023: First instance, Court of Assizes of Asti: sentenced to 17 years for murder and attempted murder, with compensation to the robbers' families. The defence had claimed self-defence.
DEC 2025: Appeal, Court of Assizes of Appeal of Turin: the sentence is reduced to 14 years and 9 months.
MAR 2026: The defence files an appeal with the Supreme Court of Cassation, still claiming self-defence.
15 JUL 2026: The Supreme Court rejects the appeal: the sentence of 14 years and 9 months becomes final.

What this petition is (and what it is not)

This is a collection of signatures of moral support: it is NOT the formal pardon application and has no binding legal value. A pardon is granted at the discretion of the President of the Italian Republic (Art. 87 of the Constitution). The formal application must be submitted to the Minister of Justice by the convicted person, a family member or a lawyer (Art. 681 of the Code of Criminal Procedure). The signatures collected here serve to publicly demonstrate the support of public opinion.

Every signature is a voice that reaches the Quirinale through the media and public opinion.

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