Amanda Knox Trial A Tangle Of Cultural Tensions

The murder conviction in Italy of American student Amanda Knox outraged many Americans. Some denounced it as a miscarriage of justice. However, much of the coverage on both sides of the Atlantic was distorted by cross-cultural misunderstandings.

Knox and her Italian boyfriend were convicted Dec. 5 of murdering her British roommate, Meredith Kercher, in the Italian university town of Perugia. The trial caused international friction. Some Americans criticized what they call Italy's inferior justice system.

In the U.S., Amanda Knox was often depicted as a wholesome, all-American girl — an innocent abroad whom Italian prosecutors saw as a cold-blooded she-devil.

But some of the finer points were lost in translation.

Many U.S. bloggers and commentators were shocked at the prosecution's description of Knox as "luciferina." Although the word does derive from "Lucifer," it does not mean diabolical or a follower of satanic cults. Rather, it means cunning and deceitful.

Knox has been learning Italian in jail. But her image here was not enhanced when she testified, addressing the presiding judge with the familiar "tu" — used with friends, relatives and children — rather than the more formal word for "you," required in the solemn setting of an Italian courtroom.

In denouncing the prosecution, some American commentators suggested comparisons with the Inquisition. Others saw the courtroom crucifix as a sign that the verdict could be tainted by religious beliefs.

Yet, one of the paradoxes of modern Italy — where only about 20 percent of the population regularly attends church — is that crucifixes are still a permanent fixture in all public buildings. The symbol is overwhelmingly accepted by Italians from right to left.

And little attention was given to an underlying "town-and-gown" tension, those difficult relations in university cities between locals and students. Every year, thousands of students — Italian and foreign — flock to Perugia, turning it into the drug capital of central Italy and fomenting local resentment against students such as Knox.

Some American commentators stressed that the trial was based on circumstantial evidence. The deputy prosecutor pointed out that's the case in most trials in Italy, a nation that loves intrigue.

And some of the strongest criticism was for a judicial system where juries are never sequestered. In response, Italians say, no one would even try to sequester a jury — and thereby divide families — when trials here can last more than a year.