Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is required to testify in a trial against two men accused of creating fake pornographic images using her face and distributing them online, according to the Italian news agency "ANSA." Meloni is seeking damages of €100,000, which she will donate to a fund for the Ministry of the Interior for women victims of domestic violence, as reported by ANSA citing lawyer Maril Giulia Maronio.
In 2020, Italian police identified the two men, a father and son, who uploaded the fake images to an American pornographic website by tracking data from one of their mobile phones. At the time, Meloni was not the Prime Minister but the leader of the "Brothers of Italy" party. Lawyer Maronio added that any compensation would be "symbolic." She further expressed hope that Meloni's decision to pursue legal action would send a message to women who have fallen victim to such abuse, encouraging them to take similar steps.
