Reporter Saviano fined 1,000 euros for defaming Italy PM

AFP :
An Italian court on Thursday handed a suspended fine of 1,000 euros to journalist Roberto Saviano for defaming Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni by criticising her stance on migrants.

Saviano, best known for his international mafia bestseller “Gomorrah”, had called the far-right leader a “bastard” on national television in December 2020, when Meloni was still in opposition.

His lawyer Antonio Nobile said he would appeal the verdict, after a trial that has sparked fears over freedom of speech in Italy.

But the fine was far less than the 10,000 euros requested by the Rome prosecutor, and the 75,000 euros in damages demanded by Meloni’s lawyer.