Guiliano Mignini has filed a defamation lawsuit against Perugia Shock, a blog created and maintained by Frank Sfarzo, in his latest attempt to silence those who disagree with him. Bowing to pressure, Google took Frank's blog offline. Frank Sfarzo's reporting must not be silenced. Injustice in Perugia is currently working to put Frank's blog back online in it's entirety. This website will update daily providing up to date news regarding Guiliano Mignini's latest abuse of power.
PERUGIASHOCK.COM
Perugia Shock in back online. Frank Sfarzo is the only reporter that has attended every single court hearing for Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito, and the only Italian reporter providing information to an English speaking audience. Perugia Shock has provided invaluable first hand information about this case for over three years. Frank Sfarzo's voice must not be allowed to be silenced by a corrupt prosecutor hellbent on destroying anyone who dares to disagree with him. Enough is enough!
Amanda Knox Trial Blogger Frank Sfarzo Shut Down By Prosecutor Giuliano Mignini
Committee to Protect Journalists: Italian Prosecutor Files Defamation Lawsuit, Shutters Blog
New York, May 11, 2011—The Committee to Protect Journalists authorities calls on Florence and Perugia to drop the trumped-up defamation lawsuit against Perugia Shock, an English-language blog created and maintained by Frank Sfarzo, an Italian freelance journalist and blogger. Sfarzo has endured sustained harassment in retaliation for his reporting and commentary on the official investigation into the November 2007 murder of British exchange student Meredith Kercher.
Sfarzo told CPJ that he received an email from Google, which hosts the site, last night informing him that a court order has been issued for the “preventive closure” of his blog dedicated to the Kercher case. In compliance with that order, Google took down Perugia Shock; it is now unavailable. It was from the court order, Sfarzo told CPJ, that he learned that Perugia Prosecutor Giuliano Mignini—who has a long-standing record of anti-press actions—has filed a lawsuit against Perugia Shock for “defamation, carried out by means of a website.” The court order, which stemmed from Mignini’s claim, was issued on February 23 by Florentine Judge Paola Belsino. Mignini is the lead prosecutor on the Kercher case.
“We call on Perugia Prosecutor Giuliano Mignini to drop his defamation lawsuit against Perugia Shock and allow it to remain online,” CPJ Europe and Central Asia Program Coordinator Nina Ognianova said. “This is hardly the first time Mignini has resorted to the law to silence his critics. It’s a heavy-handed tactic that is bound to have a chilling effect on journalists in Italy .”
CPJ has documented a history of official harassment, physical attack, and fabricated legal prosecution against Sfarzo—all stemming from his blog, which he created in 2007. The blog carried reporting and comments on the Kercher case. On it, Sfarzo regularly criticized what he considered flaws in the Kercher investigation, at times using harsh language to express his views. Sfarzo’s case was a focus of CPJ’s April 19 letter to Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, which expressed concern at the anti-press actions of Perugia authorities.
CPJ is a New York–based, independent, nonprofit organization that works to safeguard press freedom worldwide. For more information, visit www.cpj.org.ck here to add text.
Important Updates
More Giuliano Mignini Links
Giuliano Mignini
Injustice in Perugia
A site detailing the wrongful conviction of Amanda Knox & Raffaele Sollecito
The Truth Set Them Free
