VIO | Blog Row

An Italian comedienne faces prosecution for insulting the Pope, an offence that carries a prison sentence of up to five years.

Sabina Guzzanti, noted for her sharp satirical wit and lampoons of the powerful, is accused of “offending the honour of the sacred and inviolable person” of Pope Benedict XVI at a rally in Rome in July at which opposition leaders accused Silvio Berlusconi, the Prime Minister and media tycoon, of passing ad personam laws to protect his own interests and avoid prosecution for alleged corruption.

This comes not from a reading in a history book on medieval or Facist Italy, nor an article in today’s Onion, but an article from The Times Online, a respected British online newspaper. Just goes to show how even in countries as developed as Italy, fundamental rights are a joke. Tellingly, the law that Guzzanti is accused of violating was first implemented during the reign of none other than Mr. Benito Mussolini.