Omertà (Italian pronunciation:[omerˈta])[a] is aSouthern Italiancode of silence and code ofhonor andconduct that places importance on silence in the face of questioning by authorities or outsiders; non-cooperation with authorities, the government, or outsiders, especially during criminal investigations; and willfully ignoring and generally avoiding interference with the illegal activities of others (i.e., not contacting law enforcement or the authorities when one is aware of, witness to, or even the victim of certain crimes).
It originated and remains common inSouthern Italy, wherebanditry or brigandage andMafia-type criminal organizations (like theCamorra,Cosa Nostra,'Ndrangheta,Sacra Corona Unita andSocietà foggiana) have long been strong. Similar codes are also deeply rooted in other areas of theMediterranean, includingMalta,Crete in Greece,[1] andCorsica, all of which share a common or similar historic culture with Southern Italy.
Ostracism,shunning, intimidation, societal pressure orpeer pressure, and strongcultural norms are often used to reinforceomertà and encourage silence and non-cooperation with authorities; however, violence and retaliation againstinformers or those who break the code ofomertà is also common in criminal circles, where informers or traitors to the code ofomertà are often described in English by terms such as "rats" or "snitches" and in Italian asinfami orpentiti, depending on the context.
According to theOxford English Dictionary, the phonology of the wordomertà indicates that it is not of Sicilian origin; it may derive from the now rare Spanish wordhombredad, meaningmanliness, after the Sicilian wordomu "man".[2] It has also been suggested that the word comes fromLatinhumilitas (humility), which becameumiltà and then finallyomertà in some southernItalian dialects; this suggestion is not well supported by the geographical distribution of the word.[2] The first Antimafia Commission of the Italian parliament in the 1970s accepted the origin based onomu on the authority of Antonio Cutrera, with no reference to Spanish.[3]
The basic principle ofomertà is that one must not seek aid from legally constituted authorities to settle personal grievances. The suspicion of being acascittuni (an informant) constitutes the blackest mark against manhood, according to Cutrera. A person who has been wronged is obligated to look out for their own interests by avenging the wrong himself, or finding a patron—not the state—to avenge him.[4]
Omertà implies "the categorical prohibition of cooperation with state authorities or reliance on its services, even when one has been victim of a crime."[5] A person should absolutely avoid interfering in the business of others and should not inform the authorities of a crime under any circumstances, but if it is justified, he may personally avenge a physical attack on himself or on his family byvendetta, literally a taking of revenge, a feud. Even if somebody is convicted of a crime that he has not committed, he is supposed to serve the sentence rather than give the police information about the real criminal, even if the criminal has nothing to do with the Mafia. Within Mafia culture, breakingomertà is punishable by death.[5]
Omertà is an extreme form of loyalty and solidarity in the face of authority. One of its absolute tenets is that it is deeply demeaning and shameful to betray even one's deadliest enemy to the authorities. For that reason, many Mafia-related crimes go unsolved. Observers of the Mafia debate whether omertà should best be understood as an expression of social consensus for the Mafia or whether it is instead a pragmatic response based primarily on fear, as implied by a popular Sicilianproverb:"Cu è surdu, orbu e taci, campa cent'anni 'mpaci" ("He who is deaf, blind and silent will live a hundred years in peace").
It has also been described as follows: "Whoever appeals to the law against his fellow man is either a fool or a coward. Whoever cannot take care of himself without police protection is both. It is as cowardly to betray an offender to justice, even though his offences be against yourself, as it is not to avenge an injury by violence. It is dastardly and contemptible in a wounded man to betray the name of his assailant, because if he recovers, he must naturally expect to take vengeance himself."[6]
Omertà is a code of silence, according to one of the first Mafia researchers Antonio Cutrera, a former officer of public security. It seals lips of men even in their own defense and even when the accused is innocent of charged crimes. Cutrera quoted a native saying which was first uttered (as goes the legend) by a wounded man to his assailant: "If I live, I'll kill you. If I die, I forgive you."[4]
Sicilians adopted the code long before the emergence ofCosa Nostra, and it may have been heavily influenced by centuries of state oppression and foreign domination. It has been observed at least as far back as the 16th century as a way of opposing Spanish rule.[7]
The Italian-American mafiosoJoseph Valachi famously broke theomertà code in 1963, when he publicly spoke out about the existence of the Mafia and testified before aUnited States Senate committee. He became the first in the modern history of theItalian-American Mafia to break hisblood oath.[8][9] In Sicily, the phenomenon ofpentito (Italianhe who has repented) broke omertà.
Among the most famous Mafiapentiti isTommaso Buscetta, the first important witness in Italy, who both helped prosecutorGiovanni Falcone to understand the inner workings ofCosa Nostra and described theSicilian Mafia Commission orCupola, theleadership of the Sicilian Mafia. A predecessor,Leonardo Vitale, who gave himself up to thepolice in 1973, was judgedmentally ill and so his testimony led to the conviction of only himself and his uncle.[10]
Mario Puzo wrote novels based on the principles of omertà and the Cosa Nostra. His best known such works are the trilogyThe Godfather (1969),The Sicilian (1984), andOmertà (2000).[11]
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