The authoritarian approach of megaprojects versus democracy: the international people’s court defends the right of participation

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