The European Court for Human Rights in Strasbourg has ruled that an Italian police officer who shot dead a demonstrator at the G8 summit in Genoa in 2001 acted out of self-defence.

A 23-year-old Italian was shot in the face by a police bullet and then run over by a police car. The man's family says the policeman should not have fired, but the court ruled that the officer faced a serious threat and he did not use excessive force.

The police officer was already acquitted of murder in 2003 by an Italian court. The Strasbourg court concluded that the Italian investigation into the man's death had been flawed. As a result the Italian state has been ordered to pay 40,000 euros compensation to the family.

Photo: flickr orianomada