In an article dated Tuesday March 22, the Italian newspaper “La Stampa” had imagined a scenario for a crisis exit from the war in Ukraine with the assassination of Vladimir Putin. The Russian ambassador to Italy, Sergey Razov, filed a complaint.
As the war in Ukraine continues, the Italian newspaper “La Stampa” made its front page with the Russian President on Tuesday, March 22, 2022. “In this orgy of lies, disinformation, half-truths and propaganda which also marks the Ukrainian conflict, we have with ourselves at least an obligation of sincerity”, wrote the newspaper.
“After having ruled out the possibility of going directly to war with an army, planes and atomic bombs, after having set aside the possibility of relying on diplomacy, after having defined Putin as the new Hitler with whom the only possible relationship is, as with the Nazis, to end up in a tribunal set up for a second Nuremberg, the number one plan of Joe Biden, NATO and the Europeans is only one: that someone in Moscow kill Putin and frees us from the burden,” he continues.
These remarks shocked Sergey Razov, the Russian ambassador to Italy and the latter did not hesitate to file a complaint against “La Stampa” for “incitement to hatred and apology for crime” this Friday, March 25. “In full compliance with Italian law, I went to the Attorney General’s office to file a complaint asking the Italian authorities to examine the newspaper’s case. I trust Italian justice,” said the Twitter account of the Russian Embassy in Italy.
The dichiarazione dell’Ambasciatore della #Russia in #ItaliaSergey #Razovalla stampa italiana che ha fatto stamattina: pic.twitter.com/xSYI5qS5ed
—Russian Embassy in Italy (@rusembitaly) March 25, 2022
The newspaper fights back
After learning of this complaint, the author of the article, Domenico Quirico, dismissed all accusations against him. “They should find a better translator at the Russian Embassy. I wrote that “killing Putin was immoral”, quite the opposite of what the Russian ambassador accuses La Stampa of, he replied.
This complaint sparked a wave of indignation within the political class.
Simona Malpezzi, president of the Italian Democratic Party in the Senate, regretted this act considered as “unacceptable intimidation”. “Freedom of expression, which frightens any authoritarian regime, is one of the pillars of democracy,” she wrote.
Piena solidarietà a @LaStampa and so on @MassimGiannini per le inaccettabili intimidazioni. La libera informazione, che spaventa ogni autoritario regime, è uno dei pilastri della democrazia. Grazie a tutti i giornalisti che raccontano con coraggio cosa sta accadendo in Ucraina.
— Simona Malpezzi (@SimonaMalpezzi) March 25, 2022
Economy Minister Anna Ascani expressed her solidarity with the newspaper by thanking “the journalists for the valuable work they do in reporting Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine”.
Solidarietà a @LaStampa and the director @MassimGiannini. E grazie ai giornalisti per il lavoro prezioso che fanno nel raccontare la guerra di Putin contro l’Ucraina.
— Anna Ascani (@AnnaAscani) March 25, 2022