An Italian journalist was found guilty of libel Thursday for insulting Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during a television interview and received a sentence that has alarmed some free speech advocates.

Roberto Saviano, a prominent anti-mafia author, was handed a suspended fine of 1,000 euros, which he will have to pay if he repeats the offense. The prosecution had asked for a 10,000-euro penalty.

Saviano’s legal team said they would appeal the verdict.

In December 2020, before Meloni became prime minister, Saviano criticized the politician and her fellow far-right leader Matteo Salvini for their comments on migrant rescue charity vessels, referring to the pair as “bastards.”

Saviano told reporters outside the court that the government had tried to “intimidate” him, Agence France-Presse reported. Meloni’s lawyer, meanwhile, said Saviano’s words were an “insult,” not a criticism, according to Agence France-Presse.

The free-expression group PEN International condemned the verdict.

“That the lawsuit was initiated by Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s prime minister, is of the utmost concern, and sends a dangerous warning to writers and journalists across the country that their words could see them on trial for years, financially burdened, emotionally damaged, and possibly sent to jail,” PEN International President Burhan Sonmez said in a statement.

Meloni has filed similar lawsuits in the past, according to the BBC, including against editors of the Domani newspaper.

Saviano has lived under 24-hour police protection since the release of his 2006 bestselling book “Gomorrah” about the Naples mafia. In May, he won a civil defamation case against Italy Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano.

In a separate, ongoing case, Saviano is facing up to three years in jail on charges of defaming Italy Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, according to PEN International.

The case is over a 2018 speech in which Saviano described Salvini as “Ministro della Mala Vita,” or Minister of the Underworld, in reference to the 20th-century anti-fascist Gaetano Salvemini.

Under Italian law, some defamation cases can be criminal and carry a custodial sentence of up to three years in prison.

“Italy must urgently repeal all criminal defamation laws. We stand with Saviano and call for all remaining criminal defamation charges against him to be dropped,” PEN International’s Sonmez said in a statement.

Some information in this report came from Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
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