[Marxism] Blogger found guilty of defamation

[Lajany Otum <lajany_otum@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

<http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article1096206.ece>
 Blogger found guilty of defamation in test case
 By Rupert Cornwell in Washington
 Published: 25 June 2006

 The defamation conviction in Italy of the operator of a
 US-hosted blog has sent ripples of alarm through the global
 blogging community, raising fears over future censorship of
 blogsites in Italy and other countries.

 In a sharply worded statement, the Paris-based press freedom
 organisation Reporters Without Borders said it seemed that the
 blogger Roberto Mancini "is being punished for his bad language
 and not because he posted false information, which is
 unacceptable". It added that Mr Mancini was also being held
 responsible for comments posted by readers, "a decision which
 goes against European legal jurisprudence".

 Mr Mancini set up his blog Il Bolscevico Stanco (The Weary
 Bolshevik) in 2005, dealing with events in the  Valle d'Aosta
 region in northern Italy. Using the pseudonym of General Sukhov,
 he wrote various articles attacking local figures in crude and
 sarcastic terms. Four people, including two journalists, had filed
 complaints for defamation, and Mr Mancini was ordered to pay
 $16,900 in fines and damages.

 The General Sukhov columns were "certainly written in an extreme
 style", the press watchdog group said, "but the complainants
 were not able to show they were untrue".


                
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