The authoritarian approach of megaprojects versus democracy: the International People’s Court defends the right of participation

Abstract

This paper consists of a reflection on the current model used to conduct infrastructural Megaproject, which is recurrently applied at global level and, in the name of economic interests that are private, although pretended as general, clashes with the horizon proper of Democracy. The key elements of this model deal with the defence of fundamental rights in the design and construction of Megaprojects and they are reconstructed analysing the sentence of the Permanent People’s Tribunal (PPT), issued on November 2015, about the appeal promoted by the popular movement opposing the construction of a high–speed rail in Valsusa (Piedmont – Italy). Two outlines emerge in particular: the denial of public spaces for participation and the criminalization of protest.