Berlusconi says sending him to prison will incite revolutionDecember 12, 2013 - 13:54 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who lost parliamentary immunity when he was expelled from the Senate last month, said on Thursday, Dec 12, revolution would break out if he were arrested and thrown in prison, according to Reuters. The 77-year-old media magnate was stripped of his Senate seat after he was convicted of tax fraud and sentenced to four years in jail. This was commuted to a year, likely to be spent performing community service. But without parliamentary protection, he is now more vulnerable in other criminal cases where he is accused of offences including political bribery. He is also appealing against a conviction for abuse of office and paying for sex with a minor. In an interview with France's Europe 1 radio, when asked if he was afraid of arrest, he replied: "No, I'm sure they cannot, otherwise there will be a revolution in Italy." The comment came during a chaotic week of protests and road blockages across Italy by a loose-knit movement led by farmers and truckers. The so-called "pitchfork" movement is angry about the failure of the political class to address the country's grave economic problems, which have left the economy smaller than it was a decade ago and youth unemployment at about 40 percent. After dominating Italian politics for two decades and being subjected to the humiliation of being booted out of the Senate, the billionaire politician has made it clear he will use all his resources to destabilize Prime Minister Enrico Letta's coalition government. Berlusconi tried to bring down the government before being voted out of parliament, but instead split his own party, with the dissidents backing Letta to preserve political stability. Letta pledged to keep Italy out of "chaos" on Wednesday, before winning two confidence votes without Berlusconi's support. Berlusconi says Italian magistrates are politically biased against him and that they staged a "coup d'etat" and overturned the will of the people by convicting him of tax fraud. Related links: Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Armenia, Turkey discuss restoration of historic bridge The meeting took place on May 17 in Ashgabat on the sidelines of an international conference of ministers of culture. India wants Armenia’s proposals on use of Chabahar port India is expecting proposals from Armenia regarding the use of Chabahar port in Iran, Indian ambassador says. EU welcomes Armenia-Azerbaijan “progress” The EU has welcomed “progress” made in the framework of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border delimitation process. Belarus opposition leader slams Lukashenko for Karabakh trip Belarusian opposition politician Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has harshly criticized the visit of Lukashenko to Karabakh. |