State TV lawyers say comments by late mother could prompt 'requests for damages for offending memory of the dead'

This article is more than 9 years old

This article is more than 9 years old

Italy's state TV network is facing accusations of censorship after it banned a trailer for a documentary critical of Silvio Berlusconi, claiming it pokes fun at the prime minister's late mother.

In a filmed interview used in the trailer, which was due to be shown on Sunday, Rosa Berlusconi asserts: "You will never see a photo of Silvio going around with women."

Since his mother's death in 2008, Berlusconi has been plagued by allegations of sleeping with prostitutes and hosting naked soirees, culminating in accusations he paid to have sex with a 17-year-old belly dancer, Karima el-Mahroug.

Berlusconi's lawyer Niccolo Ghedini has said that the prime minister is prepared to give up one day a week – Monday – to attend his trial for underage prostitution, which starts next month, as well as three other trials for fraud and bribery.

State TV network RAI, over which Berlusconi exercises indirect control, said that the trailer for Silvio Forever "includes the statement of a deceased person, twisting the images and the words to satirical ends." That ran the risk, added RAI's legal department, "of requests for damages for offending the memory of the deceased".

Rosa Berlusconi, who once said "I adore my son. I know he is honest, good and brave," has been lauded for her good sense by Berlusconi.

Massimo Donadi, an MP with the opposition Italy of Values party, described the ban on the trailer as "the latest illiberal decision of a servile management" at RAI.

Vittorio Feltri, the former editor of a newspaper owned by the Berlusconi family, condemned the cut. "Someone is really stupid at RAI. Even films against Berlusconi can have ads."

In 2009 RAI banned trailers for Videocracy, a documentary film about Berlusconi's use of female nudity at the private TV stations he controls. The film, argued RAI, was "a political message" and not a real documentary.

RAI is reportedly planning to follow its flagship evening news programme with an editorial by Giuliano Ferrara, a pro-Berlusconi journalist who recently organised a rally attacking magistrates who have been probing Berlusconi's "bunga bunga" parties.

Berlusconi said on Saturday he would launch sweeping legislation this week aimed at limiting the powers of Italy's magistrates and cutting down on their use of wiretaps.

Meanwhile new transcripts of wiretaps of Berlusconi's party guests were published, including one in which Elisa Toti, a model, tells her mother she had been paid 6,000 euros to spend a week with Berlusconi. "You cannot imagine what condition I am in," she reportedly said. "I will need a month, and the money, to recover after that week."

Iris Berardi, a model, was reportedly recorded saying that rivalry between women at Berlusconi's parties last year was so fierce "they could massacre each other".