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Carmelo
Borġ Pisani (August 10,
1915–November 28, 1942) was a
Maltese nationalist and Fascist. He
was born in Cottonera, Malta and
executed at Corradino prison in
Malta at 7:34 A.M. for treason and
spying for the Axis Powers. He was
the last person to receive the death
penalty on the Island of Malta.
Early life
Born into a very well respected
Catholic and Nationalist Maltese
family, Pisani enrolled as a student
at the Umberto Primo art lyceum,
where he won a scholarship to study
in Rome. When war was declared on
June 10, 1940, Pisani was still
attending the University of Arts in
Rome.
During World War II
Pisani believed that Malta's Latin
soul was being destroyed by British
rule. He also believed that the best
opportunity to restore Malta to its
original state was to expel the
British. To this end, Pisani, along
with many other Maltese students,
joined the Fascist party of Italy
and the Black Shirt (Camicie Nere)
movement. This led him to
participate in the Italian
occupation of Kefallinia in Greece
with the Compagnia Speciale del
Gruppo CC.NN. da sbarco della 50a
Legione.
On May 18, 1942, Pisani was sent on
a secret mission to be the first
Axis spy on the island of Malta. He
disembarked at the Dingli cliffs in
Ras id-Dawwara, and transferred all
his rations to the cave, which he
knew well from his youth. The
unusually inclement weather and the
rough sea, however, washed all his
possessions away within 48 hours and
he was forced to wave down a British
patrol boat. Upon rescue, he was
brought to the Military Hospital at
Mtarfa.
There, Pisani was recognized by one
of his childhood friends, Cpt. Tom
Warrington. He was transferred to
Corradino prison, interrogated, and
accused of treason. On November 12,
1942, he stood trial. The public was
excluded to avoid a possible hostile
reaction from the Maltese Fascists;
however, by this time, the fascists
in Malta were either interned in
Uganda or deported to Italy. Since
the Maltese Legal Code was suspended
during the war, a jury was not
convened. In addition, the judges
did not consider his renouncement of
British citizenship and passport,
acquisition of Italian citizenship,
and his participation in combat with
the Italian Army. In fact, the
latter only weakened his position,
since he fought against Greece, an
ally of the United Kingdom. On
November 19, 1942, he was sentenced
to death for conspiring against His
Majesty's government and for
treason. His execution followed in
nine days.
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