Russian Ambassador to Italy Sergey Razov has filed a lawsuit against Italian newspaper La Stampa for allegedly publishing an article calling for the death of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The newspaper had run an op-ed titled “If killing the tyrant is the only option,” on March 22.
The article had argued that if all other means to end the war between Ukraine and Russia failed, someone killing the Russian president may be the only option left.
Razov accused the newspaper of “soliciting and condoning a crime.”
“Needless to say that this goes against the rules of journalism and morality,” Razov told reporters after he had filed the lawsuit, according to a report and translation from Reuters.
La dichiarazione dell’Ambasciatore della Russia in Italia, Sergey Razov, alla stampa italiana li 25/03/22. pic.twitter.com/IWCDepVJok
— Squid t 🇾🇪 (@Giancky26) March 25, 2022
Massimo Giannini, the editor of La Stampa, has argued that the lawsuit and outrage are hypocritical due to Russia’s “own actions,” according to a translation.
“We do not take lessons from an illiberal regime that slaughters humanity and truth,” Massimo Giannini said, according to Reuters.
The editor also denies that the piece was calling for Putin’s assassination.
US Senator Lindsey Graham drew backlash earlier this month after he called for Putin to be murdered.
“Is there a Brutus in Russia? Is there a more successful Colonel Stauffenberg in the Russian military?” the South Carolina Republican tweeted.
The only people who can fix this are the Russian people.
Easy to say, hard to do.
Unless you want to live in darkness for the rest of your life, be isolated from the rest of the world in abject poverty, and live in darkness you need to step up to the plate.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) March 4, 2022
Graham echoed his sentiments during an appearance on Fox News and has since doubled down saying that the late Senator John McCain would have had similar ideas.
Holy: Lindsey Graham just called for Putin’s assassination. pic.twitter.com/UNvOJIApXV
— Kambree (@KamVTV) March 4, 2022
“Yeah, I hope he will be taken out one way or the other,” Graham said during a press conference earlier this month. “I don’t care how they take him out. I don’t care if we send him to the Hague and try him. I just want him to go. Yes, I’m on record.”
“And if [the late Sen.] John McCain were here, he’d be saying the same thing, I think.”
