
The well-known writer who writes against Madia, Roberto Saviano, was fined 1,000 euros for defamation of the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni. The proceedings are related to a case from 2020, when Saviano insulted Meloni on the issue of immigrants.
"It is a symbolic punishment but it is only the beginning. Today's loss is an example of what will happen tomorrow, it makes us even more aware of the situation we are living in, with an executive power that constantly tries to intimidate anyone who tells their lies," Saviano commented after learned the decision to pay a fine.
In an interview with the media, Saviano said that he is considering the alternative of leaving the country. He added that "the government will be more and more complicated, from all points of view", reports the Italian news agency Tg24.
"Some time ago, someone had spread the false news that I was going abroad. Today, in light of the sentence I received, it is an idea that I am evaluating and considering. The government will be increasingly complicated, from all angles," Saviano said.
The trial in which he was convicted followed a complaint filed by Giorgia Meloni. The complaints were related to the fact that in December 2020, during an episode of the "Piazzapulita" program dedicated to the topic of immigrants, Saviano referred to the current prime minister, who at the time was an MP, with the word "bastard".