His Excellency Mr. Filippo Mancuso
Minister of Justice
Ministry of Justice
Via Arenula 71
00186 Rome
Italy
Vienna, 24 January 1995
Your Excellency,
The International Press Institute (IPI) is most concerned about the recent searching of the editorial office of Südtirol-profil, a German-language newsmagazine, by the Italian authorities.
We are informed that on 20 January 1995, seven Caribinieri arrived at the Bolzano office of Südtirol-profil and demanded that the staff hand over a document, which the magazine had used in their reporting on right-wing activists. Although this was immediately done, we understand that the officers thoroughly searched the premises for six hours, making it not only difficult for the staff to meet their deadline, but also violating the right of journalists to protect the confidentiality of their sources.
IPI believes that one of the fundamental elements of journalism is the right to withhold a source of information. Without the guarantee of confidentiality, sources will no longer feel able to disclose matters of public interest and the press will not be able to effectively carry out its role as a watchdog.
IPI, representing publishers, editors-in-chief and leading journalists from newspapers, magazines, broadcasting organisations and news agencies in 89 countries, therefore strongly urges that your authorities allow Südtirol-profil to operate without further interference and that the journalist’s right to protect the confidentiality of sources is respected.
We thank you for your attention.
Yours sincerely,
Johann P. Fritz
Director