ROME - Raffaele Lorusso, the Secretary General of the Italian Journalists’ Union (FNSI) has complained that a long-planned bill to end incarceration for journalists for libel is languishing in parliament, saying “we need a change of pace that goes beyond merely words and good intentions.”

  In Italy, defamation is considered a criminal offence, regardless of truth, and is punishable by up to six years imprisonment.

  In an official statement, Lorusso said, “the request that the President of the Constitutional Court, Giancarlo Coraggio, has addressed to Parliament, that the deadline for approval of the repeal to incarceration for journalists [accused of libel] is a strong cry for responsibility.”

  He continued, “unfortunately, to date, many are the provisions concerning journalists currently languishing in parliament, and on which there’s been no forward movement. In addition to the cancellation of prison sentences, which are incompatible with the Constitution and European Convention on Human Rights, the proposal of a law against gagging orders and rash litigious battles has been blocked. 

  “In words everyone recognises the fundamental role of information. In fact, the government and parliament - as the preparatory work for the Recovery Plan shows - have removed information and the publishing sector from the list of priorities.”

  He concluded, “apart from generic declarations we have not seen any desire to put into action any structural reform or to concretely support the industry in its delicate phase of digital transition. We don’t recall, moreover, any signal regarding the protection of the labour market, or the maintenance of levels of employment, in more and more of a free fall because of public policies that favour precariousness.”

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