Meloni forges ahead with defamation suit

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she will not withdraw her defamation suit against journalist Roberto Saviano, in an interview published on Tuesday, despite criticism that her position of power makes it an unfair trial.

The leader told the Corriere della Sera daily she was confident the case would be treated with the necessary “impartiality”.

Meloni sued anti-mafia reporter Saviano for alleged defamation after a 2020 televised outburst over her attitude towards vulnerable migrants.

Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party was in opposition at the time, but took office last month after a nationalist campaign that promised to stop migrants crossing the Mediterranean.