Prosecutor Alfredo Robledo argued Wednesday that a company’s right to operate must be balanced with the rights protected under the constitution, and that the prosecution was not a question of censorship. He is seeking a one-year term for three executives for violating privacy, and six months for a third for defamation.

The defendants, who are being tried in absentia in Milan, are Google’s senior vice president and chief legal officer David Drummond, former chief financial officer George Reyes, senior product marketing manager Arvind Desikan and global privacy counsel Peter Fleischer.

Sentencing is expected Dec. 23.

Google defended its employees in a statement, saying that the case was akin to prosecuting postal employees for hate speech sent by mail.

An advocacy group alerted prosecutors to the 2006 video showing an autistic student being beaten and insulted by bullies. Google says it removed the video immediately.