The measure with which the Ministry of Defense last February ordered the disciplinary suspension from employment for eleven months of General Roberto Vannacci following an investigation into the statements contained in his book “Il mondo al contrario” is legitimate .

The TAR of Lazio established this with a ruling rejecting the appeal filed by the MEP of the League.

In contesting the disciplinary measure, Vannacci articulated seven specific grounds for appeal, with which he argued, among other things, that: the violation of the fundamental right to free expression of thought would emerge; no regulatory provision would have been violated; his defense arguments would have been ignored; the considerations underlying the sanction would be unsuitable to justify it; the Minister of Defense should have refrained from judging the facts that he had already publicly censored on the social network "X" as soon as they occurred; the considerations regarding the serious damage to the image of the Armed Forces would be unfounded.

The administrative judges, however, rejected his defense point by point, and Vannacci's suspension from the Army, with half his salary, remains.

But the lawyer Giorgio Carta announces: « This affair is not over, an appeal will be presented to the Council of State to request the reform of the TAR decision, possibly, if necessary, bringing the issue to the attention of the European Court of Human Rights , where it will be assessed whether the freedom of expression not only of General Vannacci, but of all Italian soldiers deserves careful consideration also at a European level».

(Online Union)

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