Press and Printing Freedom Bill
Preamble - The Press and Printing Freedom Bill seeks to elaborate on the freedoms granted by the Statuto Albertino in the press, and seeks to empower his Majesty's government in limiting abuses of these freedoms.
i. This bill reaffirms the right of freedom of the press, detailed under the Statuto Albertino, understanding that it is the right of all Piedmontese subjects to freely create, print, and distribute written material, without hindrance or edit by his Majesty's Government unless it is in the interest of national security or public safety to do so, as defined in this bill.
ii. Published written material can be confiscated or edited by his Majesty's Government, and it's relevant local authorities, on two grounds;
a. In contempt of the interests of national security, which includes, but is not limited to; confidential information about the wellbeing of His Majesty; non-public information relating to Piedmont's military; the identity or activities of informants for His Majesty, both within Piedmont and without; the content of Privy Council meetings without the consent of the Privy Council itself; material that seeks to provoke or anger neighboring states; and information that would subvert the stability and wellbeing of the state if made public.
b. In contempt of public safety, which includes, but is not limited to; material that incites Piedmontese subjects to riot; material that incites mutiny or rebellion within his Majesty's military; the questioning of the legitimacy of his Majesty to rule the state of Piedmont, in favour of a Republic; inciting the overthrow of his Majesty's government by violent means; material which is sympathetic to persons whom have rebelled against his Majesty, or the cause for which they rebelled; and publishing material that is blasphemous or morally reprehensible.
iii. Published written material, which meets the requirements outlined in Article II, may be confiscated by the relevant local authority, and edited or destroyed as seen fit by said local authority or his Majesty's Government, and otherwise removed from circulation. Copies of said written material may be retained as evidence of further crimes by its author.
iv. To write, print, or publish written material which meets the requirements outlined in Article II is punishable by two to five years of imprisonment, in addition to other crimes which the written material is itself evidence of.
v. An author of said written material has the right to appeal the decision by the local authority to a civil law court, whereupon the judiciary shall deliberate on whether the aforementioned written material meets the requirements outlined in Article II.