Amanda Knox, the American college student convicted of murder in Italy, now faces charges that she slandered the Italian police by claiming they hit her in the course of questioning her about the murder. The charge could end up adding another six years to her 26-year sentence for murder. Evidently her mother also faces charges for repeating her allegations. From an American perspective, the slander charges are an unnecessary absurdity. Did Knox’s allegation really endanger the reputation or dignity of the Italian police? The case is a reminder of why we as Americans should be grateful that New York Times v. Sullivan protects us from being hauled up on seditious libel charges every time we venture to criticize government officials. Sullivan undoubtedly has led to a coarsening of public discourse, but it has largely spared us from government officials using libel and slander actions to silence their critics.
Posted by Lyrissa Lidsky on September 28, 2010 at 08:12 AM
Comments
The English translation of the Massei report can be downloaded from here:
http://www.perugiamurderfile.org/viewtopic.php?p=53735
Posted by: Harry Rag | Oct 1, 2010 4:26:40 PM
I suppose the bottom line is that Italy isn’t the United States and one should act accordingly.
Posted by: anon | Sep 29, 2010 10:39:44 AM
Knox’s then Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito and an Ivorian man, Rudy Guede, were also convicted of the murder. ********** smith whats on in Sydney
Posted by: whats on in Sydney | Sep 28, 2010 11:48:46 AM