I delitti contro il sentimento religioso : tra incriminazione dell’opinione e tutela della libertà di manifestazione del pensiero

The crimes against religious sentiment, provided by the Italian Criminal Code, are mainly framed as “crimes of opinion”. Therefore, it should be ascertained whether and how those crimes are compatible with the exercise of freedom of expression, guaranteed as a fundamental right by Art. 21 of the Italian Constitution. The paper provides an overview of the jurisprudence – of ordinary courts and the Constitutional Court – and of the legislative evolution since 1930s about the crimes against religious sentiment