The case against Cortese is only the latest in a series of defamation lawsuits brought by Meloni against some of her outspoken critics. Luca Libra, a lawyer who has represented Meloni in several suits, said that, under Italian law, everyone has the right to criticise, as long as that criticism is not a personal offence.

Last year, a court in Rome ordered Roberto Saviano, author of the book Gomorrah, about organised crime in Naples, to pay €1000 and court costs for his criticism of Meloni during a television program in 2020 in which he used a slur to refer to her regarding her hard-line stance on illegal immigration. The court ruled that the slur overstepped the right to criticise. Saviano has the right to appeal against the ruling.

Another defamation lawsuit, against a man who used social media in 2019 to insult Meloni’s role as a mother, was settled last year. Neither party would discuss the terms of the settlement.

Several organisations that monitor press freedom have voiced concerns about the lawsuits in Italy.

Reporters Without Borders demoted Italy five places to 46th in its World Press Freedom Index this year, considerably lower than Germany (10) or France (21).

In its review of Italy, the organisation wrote that, “for the most part, Italian journalists enjoy a climate of freedom” but that they can give in to self-censorship “to avoid a defamation suit or other form of legal action”.

The organisation also raised a red flag about the legge bavaglio, or gag law, “advocated by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s ruling coalition”, which limits what court and investigative reporters can publish.

Media Freedom Rapid Response, which monitors violations of press freedom across Europe, has also raised concerns about Italy’s defamation laws. It noted in a report this year that investigative reporters faced “an increasing number of vexatious lawsuits often led by members of the current government”.

In April, the journalists’ union at the state broadcaster, Rai, accused it of being “reduced to a megaphone of the government”. A month later, Rai journalists went on strike to protest against the government’s “suffocating control” of journalists there.

Cortese said that whether she appealed or not, the ruling would have an impact on her life. “As a journalist, I no longer feel free to write about politics because I could easily have problems, as I am not favourable to this government,” she said. Lawsuits, she said, “are a form of intimidation”.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for the weekly What in the World newsletter here.