Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte criticised judges on Thursday who granted mitigating circumstances to murderers of women on the grounds they were blinded by jealousy or disappointment.

Domestic violence is recognised as a serious problem in Italy, and this month two sentence reductions sparked outrage because judges cited the hurt feelings of men who had killed their wives or girlfriends.

An appeals court in Bologna halved a sentence to 16 years for a man who strangled his partner in 2016 gripped by what a court psychiatrist said was "an emotional and passionate storm".

The killer had found messages from other men on his partner's phone and she told him she wanted to end their relationship.

In another case in Genoa, a man who stabbed his wife to death was given 16 years, rather than the 30 years requested by prosecutors, with the judge saying the murderer was driven by "anger and desperation, deep disappointment and resentment".

The man had discovered his wife had not left her lover as she had promised.

Women's march 2019 – global protest in pictures Show all 30 1 /30 Women's march 2019 – global protest in pictures Women's march 2019 – global protest in pictures Berlin People hold up posters reading among others "We have the right to be heard" as they take part in a Women's March on January 19, 2019 in Berlin. - The Women's March movement that has started in the US and has become global supports women's rights, fights for an end to the gender pay gap and aims to bring awareness to violence against women and demand action to end it. (Photo by Odd ANDERSEN / AFP)ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images ODD ANDERSEN AFP/Getty Women's march 2019 – global protest in pictures London Women's march for “bread and roses” – rally against austerity in London Angela Christofilou Angela Christofilou/The Independent Women's march 2019 – global protest in pictures New York A girl takes part in a march organized by the Women's March Alliance in the Manhattan borough of New York City, U.S., January 19, 2019. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs CAITLIN OCHS Reuters Women's march 2019 – global protest in pictures Washington Thousands of people participate in the Third Annual Women's March at Freedom Plaza in Washington, U.S., January 19, 2019. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts JOSHUA ROBERTS Reuters Women's march 2019 – global protest in pictures New York Demonstrators emphasizing gun violence take part in a march organized by the Women's March Alliance in the Manhattan borough of New York City, U.S., January 19, 2019. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs CAITLIN OCHS Reuters Women's march 2019 – global protest in pictures London epa07300308 Protesters with a placard 'End Period Poverty' take part in 2019 Women's March in Central London, Britain, 19 January 2019. Thousands of protesters called for greater protection and rights for women and end of austerity in Britain. EPA/WILL OLIVER WILL OLIVER EPA Women's march 2019 – global protest in pictures Washington Thousands of people participate in the Third Annual Women's March at Freedom Plaza in Washington, U.S., January 19, 2019. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts JOSHUA ROBERTS REUTERS Women's march 2019 – global protest in pictures New York Demonstrators take part in a march organized by the Women's March Alliance in the Manhattan borough of New York City, U.S., January 19, 2019. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs CAITLIN OCHS Reuters Women's march 2019 – global protest in pictures Berlin A woman holds up a poster as she takes part in a Women's March in front of the Brandenburg Gate on January 19, 2019 in Berlin. - The Women's March movement that has started in the US and has become global supports women's rights, fights for an end to the gender pay gap and aims to bring awareness to violence against women and demand action to end it. (Photo by Odd ANDERSEN / AFP)ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images ODD ANDERSEN AFP/Getty Women's march 2019 – global protest in pictures Washington Baby Trump balloons float over thousands of people as they participate in the Third Annual Women's March at Freedom Plaza in Washington, U.S., January 19, 2019. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts JOSHUA ROBERTS Reuters Women's march 2019 – global protest in pictures London Women's march for “bread and roses” – rally against austerity in London Angela Christofilou Angela Christofilou/The Independent Women's march 2019 – global protest in pictures New York Protesters hold signs during the Women's Unity Rally at Foley Square on January 19, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Angela Weiss / AFP)ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty Images ANGELA WEISS AFP/Getty Women's march 2019 – global protest in pictures London Women's march for “bread and roses” – rally against austerity in London Angela Christofilou Angela Christofilou/The Independent Women's march 2019 – global protest in pictures London Women's march for “bread and roses” – rally against austerity in London Angela Christofilou Angela Christofilou/The Independent Women's march 2019 – global protest in pictures Washington Thousands of people participate in the Third Annual Women's March at Freedom Plaza in Washington, U.S. January 19, 2019. REUTERS/Erin Scott ERIN SCOTT REUTERS Women's march 2019 – global protest in pictures Washington Resist signs are held aloft as thousands of people participate in the Third Annual Women's March at Freedom Plaza in Washington, U.S., January 19, 2019. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts JOSHUA ROBERTS Reuters Women's march 2019 – global protest in pictures Berlin BERLIN, GERMANY - JANUARY 19: People attend the Women's March 2019 protest for more women's rights on January 19, 2019 in Berlin, Germany. Organized by Democrats Abroad, the event coincides with Women's Marches taking place today across the USA. (Photo by Carsten Koall/Getty Images) Carsten Koall Getty Images Women's march 2019 – global protest in pictures London Protesters take part in the Women's March calling for equality, justice and an end to austerity in London, Britain January 19, 2019. REUTERS/Simon Dawson SIMON DAWSON Reuters Women's march 2019 – global protest in pictures Berlin BERLIN, GERMANY - JANUARY 19: People attend the Women's March 2019 protest for more women's rights on January 19, 2019 in Berlin, Germany. Organized by Democrats Abroad, the event coincides with Women's Marches taking place today across the USA. (Photo by Carsten Koall/Getty Images) Carsten Koall Getty Images Women's march 2019 – global protest in pictures London Women's march for “bread and roses” – rally against austerity in London Angela Christofilou Angela Christofilou/The Independent Women's march 2019 – global protest in pictures Berlin epa07299365 A woman holds a sign reading 'Rise up and resist' during the 2019 Wome's March in Berlin, Germany, 19 January 2019. The march is to support women's rights, against racism and violence against women. EPA/MARKUS HEINE MARKUS HEINE EPA Women's march 2019 – global protest in pictures London Women's march for “bread and roses” – rally against austerity in London Angela Christofilou Angela Christofilou/The Independent Women's march 2019 – global protest in pictures Berlin epa07299373 A woman holds a sign reading 'I'm not ovary acting' during the 2019 Wome's March in Berlin, Germany, 19 January 2019. The march is to support women's rights, against racism and violence against women. EPA/MARKUS HEINE MARKUS HEINE EPA Women's march 2019 – global protest in pictures London Protesters take part in the Women's March calling for equality, justice and an end to austerity in London, Britain January 19, 2019. REUTERS/Simon Dawson SIMON DAWSON Reuters Women's march 2019 – global protest in pictures London REFILE - ADDING RESTRICTIONS Protesters hold up signs in the Women's March calling for equality, justice and an end to austerity in London, Britain January 19, 2019. REUTERS/Simon Dawson TEMPLATE OUT SIMON DAWSON Reuters Women's march 2019 – global protest in pictures Berlin BERLIN, GERMANY - JANUARY 19: People attend the Women's March 2019 protest for more women's rights on January 19, 2019 in Berlin, Germany. Organized by Democrats Abroad, the event coincides with Women's Marches taking place today across the USA. (Photo by Carsten Koall/Getty Images) Carsten Koall Getty Images Women's march 2019 – global protest in pictures London Women's march for “bread and roses” – rally against austerity in London Angela Christofilou Angela Christofilou/The Independent Women's march 2019 – global protest in pictures Berlin epa07299383 A man holds a sign with the reading 'here for my sisters' during the 2019 Women's March in Berlin, Germany, 19 January 2019. The march is to support women's rights, against racism and violence against women. EPA/MARKUS HEINE MARKUS HEINE EPA Women's march 2019 – global protest in pictures London Women's march for “bread and roses” – rally against austerity in London Angela Christofilou Angela Christofilou/The Independent Women's march 2019 – global protest in pictures London Women's march for “bread and roses” – rally against austerity in London Angela Christofilou Angela Christofilou/The Independent

With women's rights advocates up in arms, Mr Conte, a trained lawyer, stepped into the debate with a post on Facebook saying that while judges must remain independent, such cases raised cultural issues he felt bound to comment on.

"We must clarify with force that NO EMOTIONAL REACTION, NO FEELINGS, HOWEVER INTENSE, can justify or mitigate the gravity of femicide," he wrote, using capital letters to ram home the message.

In another contested ruling whose reasons were made public this month, an appeals court in Ancona overturned a rape conviction noting that the two suspects had found the victim too unattractive and "masculine" to want to rape her.

An inquiry has been launched into that ruling, which was made in 2017, after Italy’s Supreme Court of Cassation ordered a retrial.

There was one femicide every two days in Italy between 2006 and 2016, a total of 1,740 and an average of 174 a year, a recent study showed. One in three women between the ages of 16 and 70 has experienced physical or sexual abuse, it said.

A generation ago, the Italian penal code prescribed prison sentences as short as three years for men who killed women out of jealousy. Until 1981, the law sanctioned leniency for male defendants who murdered to preserve "family honour."

Mr Conte, who is not a member of either of the two ruling parties -- the rightist League and the populist 5-Star Movement -- said Italy must achieve a "cultural revolution" in its attitudes to women in order to build "a better society".