Milan court issues first conviction for online hate against senator Liliana Segre

First conviction

A Milan court handed down the first conviction on 9 July 2026 in the case of online hate against senator for life Liliana Segre. The defendant, who opted for an abbreviated trial, received a four-month suspended prison sentence and was ordered to pay €1,500 in compensation. The charge was defamation aggravated by racial hatred for a barrage of insults directed at the Holocaust survivor on social media.

The investigation

The case originated from complaints filed by Segre, who has been a target of anti-Semitic messages since her appointment as senator for life in 2018. The Milan prosecutor's office, led by Nicola Rossato, investigated threats and insults sent via social media and email between 2022 and 2023. After the prosecutor initially sought to dismiss the cases against 12 individuals, the preliminary investigations judge Alberto Carboni accepted an opposition from Segre's lawyer, Vincenzo Saponara, and indicted eight people.

Other defendants

During earlier hearings before judge Francesca Ghezzi, several defendants apologized in letters and paid compensation ranging from €500 to €2,000 to the Shoah Memorial Foundation. Segre subsequently withdrew her complaints, and their cases were dismissed. Another defendant was granted probation: 12 months of community service at Caritas, a €300 payment to the Foundation, and a psychological counseling program. If completed successfully, the charge will be extinguished.

Next steps

A separate tranche of the investigation, involving additional defendants, is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on 1 October 2026 before judge Fabrizio Filice.