Italian MPs back legitimate self-defence law

Rome, May 5 (IANS/AKI) Italy 's Lower House of Parliament approved a long-delayed bill giving citizens the right to respond with force to robbers or to burglars who enter a property at night, even if this proves fatal.

Lawmakers voted 225 in favour of the Bill with 166 against and 11 abstentions.

Under the Bill, it is 'legitimate defence' to react with force "in situations where a person's life is danger, where they face physical or sexual attack or their personal liberty is at risk".

But robbery victims would still need to prove "proportionality" between the crime committed against them and their defence.

The Bill, which was tabled in 2015, must now be passed by the Italian upper house Senate to become law.

Under current Italian law, to avoid a murder charge, citizens who injured or killed a robber or assailant normally need to show they had reasonable grounds to fear for their own life.

Recent years have seen a spate of cases in Italy where citizens have been put under investigation after they killed or injured alleged robbers or burglars, sparking controversy and angering many on the political right.

--IANS/AKI

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