Italian journalist and writer Roberto Saviano and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni are in court suing the author for defamation. In 2020, Saviano called Meloni a “bastard”, stating “NGO boats that tried to rescue refugees should be sunk”.

“I just want to tell Meloni and Salvini that you are bastards. How could you?’ Saviano said this on Italian television, commenting on the death of a baby as a result of a shipwreck with migrants. Matteo Salvini, in his capacity as Minister of the Interior, imposed fines on NGO boats that transported migrants to the country’s shores.

Saviano has been living under police protection since 2006 and has been on the run from the Neapolitan mafia since the publication of his book Gomorrah.

According to international media (Guardian, Reuters), yesterday’s hearing lasted only a few minutes, and the trial was postponed to December 12. If found guilty, the author faces up to three years in prison.

“I think I have the reputation of being the most persecuted journalist, person and person by this administration,” Saviano said before the trial. However, Meloni’s lawyer Luca Libra indicated that the prime minister’s legal team is considering dropping the lawsuit after pressure from free speech organization PEN International.