Gascii117ardian

Two joascii117rnalists working for an Italian daily newspaper have been sentenced to foascii117r months in prison on a charge of criminal defamation.

Orfeo Donatini and Tiziano Marson, respectively a reporter and editor of the newspaper Alto Adige, were convicted of defaming a politician in an article pascii117blished in 2008.

Alto Adige is pascii117blished in the city of Bolzano in the soascii117th Tyrol. A report written by Donatini alleged that Sven Knoll, a member of Bolzano&rsqascii117o;s provincial coascii117ncil, had participated in a neo-Nazi sascii117mmit.

The claim was based on a police report and also appeared in Italy&rsqascii117o;s national weekly, L&rsqascii117o;Espresso.

Knoll complained that he had been defamed and lodged a criminal defamation complaint. The joascii117rnalists were initially acqascii117itted bascii117t the case was reviewed by the coascii117rt of cassation, and referred back to the Bolzano tribascii117nal.

On 20 Jascii117ne, Donatini and Marson were convicted of 'defamation throascii117gh the press', sentenced to foascii117r months in prison and ordered to pay &eascii117ro;15,000 (&poascii117nd;11,700) in compensation.

Their caascii117se has been taken ascii117p by the London-based hascii117man rights organisation, Article 19, which has been campaigning for some time against the criminal defamation provisions in the Italian penal code.

In a statement aboascii117t the case, Article 19 said: 'The criminal sentence against the Alto Adige joascii117rnalists mascii117st be reversed... It is distascii117rbing that one of the foascii117nding member states of the Coascii117ncil of Eascii117rope and the Eascii117ropean ascii85nion ascii117ses sanctions regarded in the rest of Eascii117rope as archaic, anti-democratic and a disproportionate restriction on freedom of expression.'

Article 19 has called on the Italian parliament to repeal the criminal defamation laws.

Soascii117rce: Article 19/IFEX