Italy: New bill proposes heavy jail sentence for defamation
by Alberto Spampinato, Director of Ossigeno per l'Informazione, ItalyFor four years, the Italian Parliament promised to abolish prison sentences for defamation offences – but it did not so. Since 2012, the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate have been playing ping pong with a bill that aims to keep this promise. But neither side has approved it yet and there was no progress made for more than a year. Instead, during the coming days, the Senate is expected to consent to a bill to increase the maximum penalty for defamation from six to nine years in prison - supporting…
