A monetary penalty of 1000 euros. It is the sentence handed out by the Rome court to Roberto Saviano, who was charged with slander against Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. A narrative that began in December 2020, when the author of "Gomorrah" dubbed the leader of Fratelli d'Italia a "bastard" during a televised show in which he addressed the issue of migrants. According to the author, the judge accepted typical extenuating circumstances such as having "acted for reasons of particular moral value," ordering the sentence suspended and not included in the criminal record. Antonio Nobile, Saviano's lawyer, announced the appeal. As she walked out of the courtroom, the writer commented on the verdict, saying, "losing today is an example of what will happen tomorrow, leads even more to understand what situation we are living in, with an executive power that constantly tries to intimidate anyone who tells their lies." "Today, I am proud to have completed this process," he says again. "The court acknowledged a moral aspect, which made me happy. This government has made a concerted effort in recent months to halt and intimidate, as seen by the cancellation of my broadcast. Not everyone, but just those who have a fear of their voice. Exactly like Orban does". "The civil party has asked for 75 thousand euros: one of the objectives of this government is to put its hands on those who contest them economically," Saviano added. "They take advantage of legislative protection by behaving as a gang, and those who criticize them are prosecuted, forcing the judiciary to limit the venues in which they can express themselves. I'm not going down without a fight against these gangs."
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