A European court on Wednesday granted Amanda Knox who was acquitted of the murder of British student Meredith Kercher the right to an appeal against the Italian state for allegedly subjecting her to an unfair trial.
The Seattle woman was convicted, acquitted, again convicted and finally acquitted — along with her former boyfriend by Italian courts in March 2015 of sexually assaulting and murdering her roommate.
In September, Italy’s top court faulted prosecutors for presenting a flawed case against Knox and her former beau, saying it threw out their convictions for the murder partly because there was no proof they were at the crime scene.
Kercher, 21, was fatally stabbed in the Perugia apartment she shared with Knox in November 2007 in what authorities claimed was a sex game gone wrong.
The European Court of Human Rights’ decision has been conveyed to Italy to allow it to begin preparing its defense, the BBC reported.
Among Knox’s allegations are that, in the period preceding her first trial:
*She was subjected to hours of questioning without access to a translator, despite her limited grasp of Italian.
*She was questioned without being provided a lawyer.
*She was subjected to inhumane treatment including “degrading slaps to the head.”
“The court’s acceptance of the appeal is great news. It’s difficult to get cases accepted,” said Luciano Ghirga, one of Knox’s lawyers, the BBC reported.
“I can’t say it gives me any satisfaction, however, as so much suffering has already been caused.”
