Ok Senate to the new rule on Insult to the President of … – News Free

Rome, June 5, 2015 – The new law on the crime of insulting the Head of State has got the go ahead of the Senate, which approved it almost unanimously with 195 yes, 3 abstained 21 and no. Now the bill goes to the House.

The main innovation of the new rule will be abolished is the penalty of imprisonment up to five years as stated in Article 278 of the Criminal Code currently in force, entitled “Offenses honor or the prestige of the President of the Republic “reads:” Whoever offends the honor or prestige of the President, shall be punished with imprisonment from one to five years. ”

The new rules approved by the Senate are in fact involve fines from 5,000 to 20,000 Euros and, if the offense is the allocation of a given fact, imprisonment of up to two years.

Against the amendment the standard alloy and Sel. Erika Stefani (Ln) and Peppe De Cristofaro (SEL-mixed) have pointed out that the “modification of a provision of the penal code dating back to fascist represents a compromise in quality, maintaining a crime of opinion which appears incompatible with the constitutional protection of free expression of thought and the right to political criticism. “

Even Lucio Barani (Gal), Lello Ciampolillo (M5s) and Maurizio Gasparri (FI), announcing their vote in favor, They have indicated that they would prefer the repeal of the offense. Carlo Giovanardi (Ap) and Giuseppe Lumia voted for claiming the new text.

There is talk of defamation, in Italian criminal law, in reference to some offenses which consist of verbal expressions of contempt directed against particular individuals (especially state institutions, but also religious confessions or deceased).