Italian satirist Sabina Guzzanti will not face charges over alleged insults of Pope Benedict XVI. At a political rally in July, Guzzanti had joked that the Pope would go to Hell when he died, where he would be harassed by ‘poofter devils’.
Italian Minister of Justice Angelino Alfano said he would not pursue a prosecution as he knew ‘depth of the Pope’s capacity for forgiveness’. Offence to the Pope has been a criminal offence in Italy since the 1929 Lateran Treaty between the Vatican and Italy’s Fascist government.
Read more here
NEWS
Guzzanti escapes prosecution over Pope jokes
Italian satirist Sabina Guzzanti will not face charges over alleged insults of Pope Benedict XVI. At a political rally in July, Guzzanti had joked that the Pope would go to Hell when he died, where he would be harassed by ‘poofter devils’. Italian Minister of Justice Angelino Alfano said he would not pursue a prosecution […]
19 Sep 08
READ MORE
-
The week in free expression: 5–11 April 2025
Index rounds up of some of the key stories covering censorship and free expression from the past seven days
-
The Roma women abused under Czechoslovakia’s haunting legacy
Under Soviet rule, Roma women were subjected to forced sterilisation. Today, they are still facing discrimination in their reproductive care
-
The TV station the Taliban would love to ban
A satellite channel has set up shop in Paris to broadcast educational and lifestyle programmes to women and girls in Afghanistan
-
UK court rejects Home Office bid to hear Apple encryption case in secret
Index on Censorship, Big Brother Watch and Open Rights Group welcome ruling over UK Government attempts to gain backdoor access to data