Italy’s Anti-Mafia Battle Reveals the High Cost of Justice and the Need for Strong Institutions

On February 10, 1986, Italy opened what became a defining moment in the fight against organized crime—the Maxiprocesso, or 'Maxi Trial,' targeting hundreds of Sicilian Mafia members. Forty years later, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s tribute to the judges who led this courageous legal offensive reminds us that confronting criminal networks demands unyielding institutional strength and personal sacrifice.The trial was not just a courtroom event; it was a bold assertion by the state to uphold justice despite immense risk. The magistrates — including Antonino Caponnetto, Giovanni Falcone, and Paolo Borsellino — paid with their lives for standing firm against mafia...