In order to find out more about Italy’s political righs and civil liberties I went online and looked at Freedomhouse.org, an independent watchdog organization that supports the expansion of freedom around the world. The following is Italy’s freedom ratings from 2009:
Political Rights Score: 1
Civil Liberties Score: 2
Status: FREE
In the past year Italy’s civil liberties rating has declined from 1 to 2 because of the concentration of media outlets under Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and interference by organized crime networks in the functioning of private businesses. In April 2008, Parliamentary elections were held three years ahead of schedule because of the collapse of the center-left coalition government led by Prime Minister Romano Prodi, which was then taken over by the former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and his center-right coalition. Berlusconi’s return to premiership has since raised concerns about press freedom because it left him in control of both state media and his own private media empire.
I have already spoken previously about Berlusconi’s involvement with the media and how dangerous it is for him to have so much control over it. Freedom house mentions Berlusconi’s many platforms on which he ran, including pledges to crack down on crime and illegal immigration (including measures on fingerprinting Romanian residents, including children…hmmm sound familiar?), which threaten Italy’s civil rights and warns of a “climate of discrimination.”
Although Berlusconi continues to be attacked over corruption allegations, July 2008 parliament passed a law that gives the prime minister and other elected officials immunity from prosecution while they are in office.
No comments:
Post a Comment