The release of Italian activist Ilaria Salis from house arrest in Hungary after being elected as a member of the European Parliament has sparked outrage from other Italian activists.
Her lawyer Gyorgy Magyar announced the release on Friday (14 June), according to Euractiv. Members of the European Parliament have strong legal immunity from prosecution, even if the charges relate to offences allegedly committed before their election.
Last year in Hungary, the 39-year-old teacher faced charges over participating in attacks performed by an anti-fascist group on people they deemed “far-right activists.” The Budapest-Capital Regional Court requested the European Parliament to suspend Salis’ immunity, as she was charged with violent crimes and her case was ongoing.
Meanwhile, police removed an electronic bracelet from Salis’ ankle, her lawyer reported. Her father was due to arrive in Budapest later on Friday to take her back to Italy, Magyar added.
Hungarian authorities detained Ilaria Salis in the country for more than a year in a case that prompted the Italian Green and Left Alliance to nominate her as one of its candidates for the European vote. However, the chief of staff for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Gergely Gulyas, declared:
This is not a really positive picture of Italian democracy. It does not mean a lot of good either for the European Parliament or the voters who decided to send a criminal to the parliament.
Salis’ case is reportedly under review. Previously, it caused outrage in Italy after she appeared in court with her legs and hands bound and a chain around her waist. Today, her release sparked outrage among opposition activists who condemned the EU judicial system.
Italian journalist and activist Maurizio Belpietro condemned Salis’ release following her election as a member of the European Parliament on social platform X.
While the ‘Nazi hunter’ is away celebrating the election which allows her to leave precautionary custody in Hungary, the former director remains in ‘domestic confinement.’
Meanwhile, Italian journalist and former editor of Avvenire, Marco Tarquinio, welcomed the move by the European Parliament.
I welcome the return to freedom of my fellow MEP Ilaria #Salis In Hungary, after the chains, the electronic bracelet has also fallen. It was time. A judicial process should never become a disproportionate and unjustifiable instrument of humiliation in our Europe.
The issue is also politically sensitive due to long-standing ties between Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orbán.
