Veteran Italian journalist Bruno
Vespa has come under fire for defending the government over the
controversial case of Libyan judicial police commander Najeem
Osama Almasri Habish, who is wanted by the ICC for alleged war
crimes and crimes against humanity committed since 2015.
The official was arrested in Italy on January 19 but released
two days later on a technicality and flown back to Libya on a
State flight to a hero's welcome.
Speaking on his evening talk show 'Five minutes' on the first
channel of State broadcaster RAI Thursday night, Vespa said
countries do "very dirty things" for national security.
"In every country very dirty things are done for national
security, including negotiating with torturers", said Vespa.
His comments on Friday were slammed by RAI State broadcaster's
union USIGRAI.
The union said in a note that Vespa's statements "cannot be the
trait identifying Rai1's journalistic analysis".
"This is not information but propaganda that smacks of regime",
it noted.
Vespa responded Friday that he could "only forgive Usigrai for
the ignorance" and said the left-leaning populist Five-Star
Movement (M5S) led by ex-premier Giuseppe Conte, whose members
in RAI's parliamentary oversight panel criticized his words,
"should very well know that morally questionable operations are
made in each State by governments of every colour for reasons of
national security", speaking to ANSA.
"With all due respect, rather than reporting me to RAI's
parliamentary oversight panel, they should ask (Italian
intelligence service parliamentary oversight body) COPASIR for
clarifications", he also told ANSA.
"RAI is increasingly less a public service and increasingly more
biased information", said Green-Left Alliance (AVS) Senate whip
Peppe De Cristofaro, a member of RAI's parliamentary oversight
panel.
"We are like a regime", De Cristofaro added, saying TV hosts had
become "mouthpieces of the government in programmes tailored to
defend (Premier) Giorgia Meloni".
Meanwhile MEP Sandro Ruotolo, a former RAI journalist who is in
charge of information in the national secretariat of his
Democratic Party (PD), said Vespa "outdid himself" in his show
by "becoming the official spokesperson of Palazzo Chigi", the
premier's office.
Vespa responded saying Ruotolo should seek answers on national
security from members of his own party, including former PD
premiers Paolo Gentiloni and Matteo Renzi, as well as Marco
Minniti, who was interior minister when Italy in 2017 signed a
controversial deal with Libya, renewed every three years and
approved by the European Council, to provide aid for its coast
guard in exchange for cooperation on combatting illegal
migration crossings.
The agreement has been slammed by NGOs for allegedly fostering
illegal pushbacks.
Ruotolo should "ask for clarifications on the 'very dirty
things' governments of every colour and latitude" have
accomplished, he said, mentioning the two former prime ministers
and officials such as Minniti and former defence committee
chairman Nicola Latorre who, "on behalf of the PD, dealt with
national security at the highest level".
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