MILAN, Italy, July 20: A Milan court has ordered journalist Giulia Cortese to pay Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni €5,000 ($5,465) in damages for a social media post deemed as "body shaming," according to reports from news agency ANSA and other local media. Cortese was also fined €1,200 ($1,307) and suspended for her October 2021 tweet mocking Meloni's height.

In response to the verdict, Cortese expressed her concerns on X (formerly Twitter), stating, “Italy’s government has a serious problem with freedom of expression and journalistic dissent.”

The legal action stemmed from a social media clash three years ago when Cortese, reacting to a mocked-up photo of Meloni with late fascist leader Benito Mussolini in the background, tweeted: “You don’t scare me, Giorgia Meloni. After all, you’re only 1.2 meters (4 feet) tall. I can’t even see you.”

Various media sources list Meloni's height between 5 feet 1 inch and 5 feet 3 inches.

Cortese has the option to appeal the sentence. Meloni’s lawyer indicated that the prime minister intends to donate any damages she receives to charity.

Expressing her frustration on X, Cortese highlighted the challenges faced by independent journalists in Italy, writing in English, “Let’s hope for better days ahead. We won’t give up!”

Reporters Without Borders highlighted the high number of lawsuits against journalists in Italy, dropping the country's rank by five places to 46th in its 2024 World Press Freedom Index.

Meloni has a history of taking journalists to court. Last year, a Rome court fined author Roberto Saviano €1,000 ($1,089) plus legal expenses for insulting her on television in 2021 over her stringent stance on illegal immigration.