MEPs JOIN CAMPAIGN FOR EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT TO CONDEMN INTIMIDATION OF THE PRESS AND DEFEND FREEDOM OF INFORMATION IN ITALY

European Alternatives is campaigning for the European Parliament to pass a resolution in plenary condemning all attempts of intimidation of the press and infringements on freedom of information in Italy. It is lobbying MEPs and also bringing a petition to the committee on petitions. Over ten MEPs have already joined the campaign. Their names follow below. The resolution would call on the Commission, the European Council and the Member States to investigate and to act to prevent every possible violation of rights established in the Treaties of European Union (notably articles 6 and 7) and the Charter of Fundamental Rights (notably article 11 - freedom of expression and information, and plurality of media). European Alternatives believes that the lack of a European response to the intimidation of the press in Italy poses a direct threat to the right of liberty of expression throughout the European Union, puts in jeopardy progress in former Soviet countries admitted into the Union, and limits the authority of any European condemnation of censorship in the rest of the world.

Facts about media intimidation in Italy

La Repubblica, L'Unità, El Pais and Le Nouvel Observateur have been sued by the Italian Prime Minister on the basis of journalistic enquiries of a series of private and public behaviours of the Prime Minister, and lawyers have been instructed to take investigate the possibility of actions against newspapers published in the UK. The situation of media independence in Italy has been condemned by a variety of independent enquiries, including in reports by Freedom House, Reporteurs sans Frontières, and the Open Society institute (see www.freepresseurope.eu for details). The Italian Prime Minister controls both the three main private TV channels and 2 over 3 State-owned public channels, comprising 90% of Italian television media. In addition, he has been accused of removing critical voices from media by direct dismissals, intimidation and slander campaign, while promoting journalists loyal to his cabinet.

Amongst the MEPs supporting the campaign so far:

Sonia Alfano MEP (ALDE, Italy) Luigi de Magistris (ALDE, Italy) Sarah Ludford MEP (ALDE, UK) Sylvie Guillaume (S&D, France) Judith Sargentini (Greens, Netherlands) Rosario Crocetta (S&D, Italy) Gianluca Susta MEP (S&D, Italy) Gianni Vattimo MEP (ALDE, Italy) Isabelle Durant (Greens, Belgium) Bart Staes (Greens, Belgium) Eva Lichtenberger (Greens, Austria) Pascal Canfin (Greens, France) Jan Philipp Albrecht (Greens, Germany) Hélène Flautre (Greens, France) Marije Cornelissen MEP (Greens, Netherlands) Bas Eickhout MEP (Greens, Netherlands) Caroline Lucas MEP (Greens, UK) Catherine Greze MEP (Greens, France) Franziska Keller MEP (Greens, Germany) Emilie Turunen MEP (Greens, Denmark)