Italian feminist fighter Emma Bonino dies at 78

A handout picture released by the UN press office shows Italian Foreign Minister Emma Bonino at the start of the so-called Geneva II peace talks on January 22, 2014 in Montreux. Italy's Emma Bonino, 78, a long-time radical activist and one of the country's most popular political figures, has died today on September 11, 2026. Photo: AFP

Italy’s Emma Bonino, a long-time radical activist and one of the country’s most popular political figures, has died aged 78.

A veteran of battles for the right to divorce and abortion, Bonino was a former member of Italy’s Radical Party who commanded respect across the political sphere.

“Today we lose not only our leader but also one of the most clear-sighted, courageous and free figures in the political history of our country,” the small More Europe party she founded said on Facebook on Friday.

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Bonino served as a European commissioner and a foreign minister in Italy but was best known as a militant feminist with an inexorable dedication to political and humanitarian causes.

Italy’s far-right prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, paid homage, saying that although their “backgrounds and perspectives differed, that never prevented me from acknowledging her significance and her role in our nation’s public life”.

AFP

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