A recovered stolen artwork by British artist Banksy, depicting a young female figure with a mournful expression, that was painted as a tribute to the victims of the 2015 terror attacks at the Bataclan music hall in Paris, is shown during a ceremony at the French Embassy in Rome, Tuesday, July 14, 2020. The work was recovered last June 10 during a search of a home in Tortoreto, a city near the Adriatic coast in the Abruzzo region's Teramo province. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)
The Associated Press
ROME (AP) - Italy on Tuesday returned to France a stolen artwork by British artist Banksy that was painted as a tribute to the victims of the 2015 Paris attacks at the Bataclan music hall.
The chief prosecutor in charge of the investigation, Michele Renzo, told the French ambassador that it was significant that the handover was occurring on Bastille Day, given the need to continue fighting for all freedoms.
'œThis door brings our minds back to the memory of the tragic and distressing event, and tells us that for liberty, for our individual liberties, we will always have to fight,'ť Renzo said at a ceremony in the French Embassy, where the artwork was being displayed for the holiday.
French officials last year had announced the theft of the piece, a black image appearing to depict a person mourning that was painted on one of the Bataclan's emergency exit doors.
Ninety people were killed at the Bataclan on Nov. 13, 2015, when Islamic extremists invaded the music hall, one of several targets that night in which a total of 130 people died.
Italian authorities had announced last month that they had discovered the painted door in an attic in a country home in Abruzzo.
French Ambassador Christian Masset said the door was a 'œwitness'ť to the attack but also an escape route.
'œThrough this door which was an emergency exit, many people managed to escape,'ť he said. 'œThanks to this door more lives were saved.'ť
Standing next to the piece after it was unveiled, Renzo said Italy was proud to return the painting to its rightful owners.
'œRecovering this symbol, handing it back to the public's emotion was for us a commitment and today is a great honor,'ť said Renzo, chief prosecutor in L'Aquila.
Franch Ambassador to Italy, Christian Masset, unveils a recovered stolen artwork by British artist Banksy, depicting a young female figure with a mournful expression, that was painted as a tribute to the victims of the 2015 terror attacks at the Bataclan music hall in Paris, during a ceremony at the French Embassy in Rome, Tuesday, July 14, 2020. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)
The Associated Press
Franch Ambassador to Italy, Christian Masset, right, and Italian prosecutor Michele Renzo pose next to a recovered stolen artwork by British artist Banksy, depicting a young female figure with a mournful expression, that was painted as a tribute to the victims of the 2015 terror attacks at the Bataclan music hall in Paris, at the French Embassy in Rome, Tuesday, July 14, 2020. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)
The Associated Press
A recovered stolen artwork by British artist Banksy, depicting a young female figure with a mournful expression, that was painted as a tribute to the victims of the 2015 terror attacks at the Bataclan music hall in Paris, is shown during a ceremony at the French Embassy in Rome, Tuesday, July 14, 2020. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)
The Associated Press
A recovered stolen artwork by British artist Banksy, depicting a young female figure with a mournful expression, that was painted as a tribute to the victims of the 2015 terror attacks at the Bataclan music hall in Paris, is shown during a ceremony at the French Embassy in Rome, Tuesday, July 14, 2020. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)
The Associated Press
Franch Ambassador to Italy, Christian Masset, stands by a recovered stolen artwork by British artist Banksy, depicting a young female figure with a mournful expression, that was painted as a tribute to the victims of the 2015 terror attacks at the Bataclan music hall in Paris, during a ceremony at the French Embassy in Rome, Tuesday, July 14, 2020. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)
The Associated Press
Franch Ambassador to Italy, Christian Masset, unveils a recovered stolen artwork by British artist Banksy, depicting a young female figure with a mournful expression, that was painted as a tribute to the victims of the 2015 terror attacks at the Bataclan music hall in Paris, during a ceremony at the French Embassy in Rome, Tuesday, July 14, 2020. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)
The Associated Press