Media watchdog protests conviction of Italian blogger for defamation

MARTA FALCONI, Associated Press Writer
AP Worldstream
06-23-2006
Dateline: ROME
A media watchdog protested the conviction of an Italian blogger for defamation, warning Friday that such a verdict could lead to censorship of blogs in Italy.

Blogger Roberto Mancini, 59, was convicted of defamation last month in Aosta, northern Italy, and sentenced to pay euro13,500 (US$16,900) in fines and damages.

Four people, including two journalists, had filed a complaint against him over the content of his blog, which reports on local news in sarcastic and sometimes crude terms.

"It looks like the blogger is being punished for his bad language and not because he posted false information, which is unacceptable," Paris-based Reporters Without Borders said in a statement Friday.

The group also said Mancini wrongly was held responsible for comments posted by readers.

Mancini denies writing the incriminating comments, according to his defense lawyer, Caterina Malavenda. She said he would appeal the verdict.

In Italy, explanations of rulings generally are made public weeks after the ruling is issued, and the grounds for the verdict against Mancini have not yet been released.

Blogs, short for Web logs, are Web sites that allow one or more people to mix opinion, reporting, gossip and even musings about daily life, usually with links to news stories and other items on the Web.

They have become popular in recent years because they are easy to use and give bloggers, many of whom remain anonymous, a relatively wide freedom of expression and a potentially wide audience.

"This is the first time I hear of a case of a blogger who's been found responsible for what is posted on his blog," said Julien Pain, the head of the Internet Freedom desk for the watchdog, speaking from Paris.

According to court documents, messages posted on the blog made clear, unflattering references to the four who filed the complaint, in one case mentioning that one of them had taken part in a bank robbery.

Malavenda, Mancini's lawyer, said the judge found that the contents of the notes were true, and argued that the author of the defaming pieces could not be identified with certainty. She said the site is registered in Canada, and Canadian authorities did not reply to the request to identify the owner.

Reporters Without Borders said "the complainants were not able to show (the reports) were untrue."

Malavenda also said Mancini's house was raided and documents, including photographs that appear on the blog, books on blogging and passwords seized by authorities.

"All the material shows he can be someone who used the blog, but there's no evidence that he is the author of those defaming pieces," she said.

Reporters Without Borders warned that the verdict might induce people who manage blogs to censor messages posted by visitors.

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