Italy

Welcome to today's Morning Brief, where we're following the rise of Giorgia Meloni, Russia's decision to grant Edward Snowden citizenship, and Cuba's vote ...

The report also said that some orders of torture—including electric shocks and asphyxiation— [came directly](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/venezuela-rejects-un-report-detailing-torture-rights-abuses/2022/09/26/9878ddfc-3db0-11ed-8c6e-9386bd7cd826_story.html?utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wp_world) from President Nicolás Maduro. No to the ideology of gender.” On immigration, she has pushed for a Mediterranean “ [naval blockade](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/09/26/italy-meloni-right-wing-migration/)” and previously declared that Italy’s existing policies could transform it into the “ [refugee camp](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/09/26/italy-meloni-right-wing-migration/) of Europe.” The trip’s agenda will likely be dominated by security issues, especially over [Taiwan](https://www.reuters.com/world/us-harris-japanese-leader-condemn-chinas-actions-taiwan-strait-statement-2022-09-26/) and North Korea, which fired a ballistic missile on Sunday. Anatoly Kucherena, Snowden’s lawyer, said that he was not [summoned](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/09/26/putin-snowden-citizenship-russia/) in Putin’s recent military mobilization because he does not have [prior military](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/sep/26/putin-grants-russian-citizenship-to-us-whistleblower-edward-snowden) experience. It marks a historic turn for the country, which has a fraught legacy of sending gay men to [labor camps](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-63035426). But the election was marked by [record-low voter turnout](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/26/world/europe/italy-election-meloni-what-to-know.html?smid=tw-nytimesworld&smtyp=cur), with just 64 percent of people participating, almost a ten percent drop compared to the last general election. According to Amnesty International, four children have been killed by government forces since the protests began, due to “deliberate and unlawful firing of live ammunition at protesters.” [soften](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/15/world/europe/giorgia-meloni-italy-right.html) her position ahead of the election, Meloni is known for her hard-line stances, famously [proclaiming](https://www.economist.com/europe/2022/09/22/giorgia-meloni-and-her-brothers-of-italy-look-set-to-win-the-next-election): “Yes to the natural family. The demonstrations were sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in police custody for allegedly wearing insufficiently modest clothing. In the coming months, Italy’s economic outlook—a key factor in this election—could prove to be a major test for new leadership. Her success was largely built on “the credibility crisis of her adversaries on the left and her allies on the right, who have all become increasingly inconsistent in the eyes of the public,” he wrote. She is expected to head the country’s most right-wing government since the era of fascist leader Benito Mussolini.