Meloni is expected to testify at a court in Sassari, Sardinia, on July 2. A deepfake image is an image in which one person's face is digitally superimposed on another person's body. The 40-year-old man and his 73-year-old father, who are believed to have made the videos, are under investigation. Police said they were able to find them by tracking the mobile device used to broadcast the videos.
Under Italian law, some defamation cases can be criminal in nature and can carry a prison sentence. According to the indictment, the videos were posted on a US pornographic website and viewed "millions of times" over many months.
Meloni's legal team said that if her claim for damages is successful, she will donate 100,000 euros to a fund set up to support women who are victims of male violence.
Meloni's lawyer, Maria Giulia Marongiu, said the sum was "symbolic" and that the compensation claim was meant to "send a message to women who are victims of this kind of abuse of power not to be afraid to press charges." Meloni's deepfake videos date back to before he was elected prime minister in 2022.
