Italian journalist is tried for slander after exposing the mafia

Press entities claim that actions against Marilù Mastrogiovanni are a threat to democracy

Italian investigative journalist Marilù Mastrogiovanni could be convicted of slander due to reports denouncing the Mafia’s infiltration of public contracts in the Puglia region and links between organized crime bosses and sectors of the municipal administration.

The last hearing of the two cases to which she is responding, one of them brought by the then mayor of Salento, was held this week at the Lecce court of justice, and the result will be announced on November 5th.

The case is considered by press freedom organizations as political persecution of the journalist’s work using legal processes to threaten and intimidate. But she did not bend and gained fame inside and outside the country as one of the women fighting against the power of the mafia.

In a Facebook post on the day of the trial, she said:

“I’m here not only to defend my work, but for my rights to freedom of the press, expression and access to information. Never back down. Because when one moves forward, everyone moves forward.”

Italian journalist wrote about the mafia

Marilù is the founder and editor of the newspaper ‘Il Tacco d’Italia’, and investigated the links between organized crime, politics and private companies that provide services to public authorities in the region.

The case that started the proceedings happened in 2016, when she published a series of reports about the murder of a mafia boss, Augustino Potenza.

The journalist retraced Potenza’s trajectory, exposing and demonstrating the broad social and political consensus he enjoyed.

According to the National Federation of Italian Press (FNSI, in its original acronym), following the articles, the then mayor of Salento, Gianni Stefàno (from the Fratelli Italia party, even from Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni) began a fierce campaign against the journalist on social networks, in the media and even with posters in the streets.

He then sued her for alleged defamation, with the support of the City Council.

Because of her work and the politician’s incitement, the journalist receives frequent threats. To protect her family, she had to change cities and has lived under police protection since 2017.

According to the FNSI, Marilù needs to prove that the protection procedures were in fact activated, which the entity classified as a “paradox”.

Organizations criticized the action and reported SLAPP

Press organizations expressed support for the journalist. The Federation stated that it was “confident that it will be able to demonstrate the quality of its work and its good faith”.

The federation also denounced the persecution of journalists. They framed this case as a SLAPP, which stands for strategic lawsuit against public participation.

SLAPP happens when authority figures use their power of influence and money to intimidate those who criticize them through legal proceedings.

In these cases, experts say that the justice system is used as a weapon against democracy.

“It is time to curb the phenomenon of SLAPPs because, as reported by all international observers and the EU, they pose a genuine threat to democracy and democratic participation.”

The general secretary of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Anthony Bellanger, strongly condemned attempts to interfere in the investigative work of journalists.

“This is a clear attempt to intimidate media professionals and dissuade them from documenting uncomfortable realities. We fully support Marilù Mastrogiovanni.”

Documentary highlighted the journalist’s fight against the mafia

The movement against the journalist did not serve to silence her.

In May this year, she was one of the women highlighted in a documentary on the French public network France24 about women from the southern region of Puglia who took risks to denounce acts by the criminal group known as Sacra Corona Unita, or “fourth mafia”.