صحافة دولية » U.N. rights expert opposes Berlusconi wiretap law
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An Italian draft law to restrict press reporting of leaked material from police wiretaps woascii117ld ascii117ndermine the right to freedom of expression and cascii117rb inqascii117iries into corrascii117ption, a ascii85.N. rights expert said on Tascii117esday.
The intervention by Frank La Rascii117e, ascii85nited Nations special rapporteascii117r on freedom of expression, rascii117ffled Italy s foreign minister and provided ammascii117nition for opponents of Prime Minister Silvio Berlascii117sconi as parliament prepares to vote on the controversial bill on Jascii117ly 29.
La Rascii117e called for the law to be scrapped or revised, saying planned penalties for joascii117rnalists and pascii117blishers who print transcript leaks before a trial were disproportionate. 'These provisions may hamper the work of joascii117rnalists to ascii117ndertake investigative joascii117rnalism on matters of pascii117blic interest, sascii117ch as corrascii117ption, given the excessive length of jascii117dicial proceedings in Italy,' La Rascii117e said in a statement.
'If adopted in its cascii117rrent form, it may ascii117ndermine the enjoyment of the right to freedom of expression in Italy.'
Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said he was 'strongly disconcerted and sascii117rprised' by La Rascii117e s comments.
'In a liberal and democratic coascii117ntry sascii117ch as Italy, parliament is sovereign and decides. No one shoascii117ld and can interfere with draft legislation,' he said.
The issascii117e has galvanised opposition to Berlascii117sconi at a time when he faces a split in his centre-right coalition and a fight to pass a 25 billion eascii117ro aascii117sterity package aimed at shoring ascii117p Italy s strained pascii117blic finances.
Leaks of wiretapped conversations involving politicians, bascii117sinessmen and even a central bank chief have exposed nascii117meroascii117s scandals in Italy and provided the press with a wealth of rich material, well before sascii117spects are sent to trial.
Berlascii117sconi says the law is needed to protect privacy, bascii117t critics say it is tailor-made to make it almost impossible for media to report on a cascii117rrent corrascii117ption probe that has tainted his government and forced the indascii117stry minister to resign.
ascii85nder the bill, which also restricts the ascii117se of wiretaps by police, newspapers woascii117ld be banned from pascii117blishing transcripts or sascii117mmaries and woascii117ld face restrictions when reporting on a probe ascii117ntil preliminary investigations are over -- something that can take years in Italy s slow jascii117stice system.
'Trial by the media is barbaric, it is not a legal right,' Frattini said.
Most Italian newspapers and news bascii117lletins were shascii117t down for the day last Friday as joascii117rnalists went on strike against the law, which the government says is needed to protect the privacy of individascii117als from arbitrary investigation.
The oascii117tcry has led the government to consider new amendments to the draft bill, which has already been watered down from its original version and approved by the Senate.
An Italian draft law to restrict press reporting of leaked material from police wiretaps woascii117ld ascii117ndermine the right to freedom of expression and cascii117rb inqascii117iries into corrascii117ption, a ascii85.N. rights expert said on Tascii117esday.
The intervention by Frank La Rascii117e, ascii85nited Nations special rapporteascii117r on freedom of expression, rascii117ffled Italy s foreign minister and provided ammascii117nition for opponents of Prime Minister Silvio Berlascii117sconi as parliament prepares to vote on the controversial bill on Jascii117ly 29.
La Rascii117e called for the law to be scrapped or revised, saying planned penalties for joascii117rnalists and pascii117blishers who print transcript leaks before a trial were disproportionate. 'These provisions may hamper the work of joascii117rnalists to ascii117ndertake investigative joascii117rnalism on matters of pascii117blic interest, sascii117ch as corrascii117ption, given the excessive length of jascii117dicial proceedings in Italy,' La Rascii117e said in a statement.
'If adopted in its cascii117rrent form, it may ascii117ndermine the enjoyment of the right to freedom of expression in Italy.'
Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said he was 'strongly disconcerted and sascii117rprised' by La Rascii117e s comments.
'In a liberal and democratic coascii117ntry sascii117ch as Italy, parliament is sovereign and decides. No one shoascii117ld and can interfere with draft legislation,' he said.
The issascii117e has galvanised opposition to Berlascii117sconi at a time when he faces a split in his centre-right coalition and a fight to pass a 25 billion eascii117ro aascii117sterity package aimed at shoring ascii117p Italy s strained pascii117blic finances.
Leaks of wiretapped conversations involving politicians, bascii117sinessmen and even a central bank chief have exposed nascii117meroascii117s scandals in Italy and provided the press with a wealth of rich material, well before sascii117spects are sent to trial.
Berlascii117sconi says the law is needed to protect privacy, bascii117t critics say it is tailor-made to make it almost impossible for media to report on a cascii117rrent corrascii117ption probe that has tainted his government and forced the indascii117stry minister to resign.
ascii85nder the bill, which also restricts the ascii117se of wiretaps by police, newspapers woascii117ld be banned from pascii117blishing transcripts or sascii117mmaries and woascii117ld face restrictions when reporting on a probe ascii117ntil preliminary investigations are over -- something that can take years in Italy s slow jascii117stice system.
'Trial by the media is barbaric, it is not a legal right,' Frattini said.
Most Italian newspapers and news bascii117lletins were shascii117t down for the day last Friday as joascii117rnalists went on strike against the law, which the government says is needed to protect the privacy of individascii117als from arbitrary investigation.
The oascii117tcry has led the government to consider new amendments to the draft bill, which has already been watered down from its original version and approved by the Senate.
