Brussels, 15.07.2004 (Agence Europe) - The Reporters Without Borders organisation is urging the Italian parliament to approve reform on defamation in the press. Adopted by the lower house's judicial commission on 1 July 2004, the proposed amendment is to abolish prison sentences for libel in the press. These sentences, Reporters Without Borders states in a press release, were “contrary to the recommendations of the United Nations, the European Court of Human Rights and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe”. If the text is approved, the journalists' defence organisation continues, it would be a “real victory for press freedom in Italy”.
Since 2001, three journalists of different Italian written press (Le Ore, Il Giornale di Napoli and Il Meridiano) were found guilty of libel and received prison sentences of up to two and a half years. Rapid adoption of the text by the Parliament would, Reporters Without Borders explains, allow their case to be reviewed in the light of this reform.