Domenico Lucano

Domenico Lucano (born 31 May 1958) an Italian politician, former mayor of Riace, in Calabria, southern Italy.

Lucano was born in Melito di Porto Salvo but moved early in his life to Riace. He worked as a teacher for most of his adult life, and was a human rights activist since the 1990s. He became mayor of Riace in 2004, maintaining the role since then. In 2009, shortly after his first re-election as mayor, Lucano was shot at through the window of a restaurantand two of his dogs were poisoned.

He gained worldwide attention through his innovative approach to dealing with refugees, in the context of the European migrant crisis. As mayor of Riace, he allowed 450 refugees to settleamong the 1,800 inhabitants of the village, revitalising it and preventing the closure of the local school.

Lucano, came second runner-up in the 2010 World Mayor competition. (The winner Marcelo Ebrard was the Mayor of Mexico City, which has about nine million inhabitants.)

Lucano was also listed by Fortune as one of the world's greatest leaders in 2016; featuring at number 40 in the magazine's listing.

In 2017 he was awarded the Dresden Peace Prize.

In October 2018, the Italian police put Lucano under house arrest for allegedly helping illegal migrants to stay in the country by organising “marriages of convenience”.

In April 2019, Lucano was indicted with other 26 people on charges of abuse of power and aiding illegal immigration. In the same month, he faced another probe regarding alleged false public statement and fraud.