Following the conclusion of the third hearing held on May 21, 2026, at the Criminal Court of Rome, CASE Italia, the Italian coalition against vexatious lawsuits, supported by the Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE), expresses its solidarity with Daniele Fabbri, target of a criminal defamation lawsuit filed against him by current Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni—a legal action exhibiting many of the characteristics that are indicative of a SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation).

This case is not an isolated incident, but part of a broader trend in Italy, where legal harassment is used by those in power to silence people who speak out in the public interest—including journalists, activists, and, not least, comedians. It is also a phenomenon that reflects a global trend in which satire is increasingly targeted by censorship attempts from authorities.

OBC Transeuropa, Greenpeace International Italia and The Good Lobby Italia (members of CASE Italia) with Daniele Fabbri – Sielke Kelner (OBCT)

The lawsuit for aggravated defamation was filed by Giorgia Meloni’s lawyers in March 2021, before she became Prime Minister, in response to an episode of Fabbri’s satirical podcast titled “Contains Profanity”, which was posted on YouTube and other streaming platforms. In the episode in question, Fabbri criticized the sexist insults directed at the then-opposition leader by a user on social media, before suggesting a series of comical insults devoid of gender-discriminatory connotations, which he deemed more appropriate. During last year’s pretrial hearing, the Prime Minister’s lawyers also filed a claim for damages totaling 20,000 euros for psychological distress.

The freedom of satire is enshrined in Article 21 of the Italian Constitution as an expression of the broader right to freedom of expression. Furthermore, the case law of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has repeatedly confirmed that the right to freedom of expression extends even to content that may “offend, shock, or disturb”. As the Strasbourg Court has repeatedly emphasized, public figures must tolerate a higher level of criticism and scrutiny, given the role they play in society. The Court itself has recognized satire as a form of artistic expression which, by resorting to humor, irony, exaggeration, and distortion of reality, contributes to public debate, aiming to “provoke and shake things up”. Finally, as noted in the EU Recommendation accompanying the Anti-SLAPP Directive, public participation constitutes a democratic right that also includes “the right to express opinions and ideas that contradict or criticize those held by the authorities (…) or that offend, shock, or disturb the State.”

Those in power should tolerate criticism and satire, forms of public participation that serve as an essential test of the health of democratic debate. The fundamental reflection initiated by Daniele Fabbri in his podcast on the appropriateness of language—including in a satirical context—and on what may be considered sexist, is part of a broader debate of public interest. For these reasons, we urge Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to immediately withdraw the charges against the Italian stand-up comedian.

Furthermore, we urgently renew our call on the Italian Parliament to proceed with the complete decriminalization of defamation and to bring national legislation into line with international standards on freedom of expression. This reform should go hand in hand with that of the Civil Code, aimed at ensuring effective protections against frivolous lawsuits, as provided for, among other things, by the EU Anti-SLAPP Directive (EU) 2024/1069, whose application should be extended to domestic cases and administrative proceedings.

It is precisely on this point that we wish to highlight Italy’s serious delay: on May 7, in fact, the deadline for transposing the Directive—also known as the “Daphne Act”—expired. We therefore renew our appeal to the Ministry of Justice to transpose the Directive by incorporating both the EU Recommendation (2022/758) and the Council of Europe Recommendation CM/Rec(2024)2.
The next hearing in this trial will take place in the second half of January 2027, during which the testimony of the claimant is expected. CASE Italia will continue to closely monitor the proceedings and stand in strong solidarity with Daniele Fabbri

Signatures

Osservatorio Balcani Caucaso Transeuropa
Articolo 21 Liberi di…
Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ)
GiULIA
Greenpeace Italia ETS
ReCommon
Rete #NoBavaglio
Pro Publico
SCiDEV
StraLi
The Good Lobby Italia
European Centre for Press and media Freedom (ECPMF)