Italian Foreign Minister Calls for Legal Resolution in the Ilaria Salis Case

MTI-Hungary Today 2024.02.09.

Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani emphasized in his speech to parliament that a legal case should not turn into a political spectacle, grabbing headlines but offering no benefit to those involved. He addressed the case of political activist Ilaria Salis, who was arrested in Hungary.

The minister acknowledged that the sight of the Italian defendant appearing in court in Hungary on January 29 in handcuffs and shackles “shocked us all and had a strong impact on public opinion.”

He stated that more than 2,400 Italian citizens are currently incarcerated abroad, and the government is providing assistance to all of them.

According to the law, Ms. Salis can only be returned to Italy to serve any sentence in an Italian prison after a conviction by a Hungarian court. She is not permitted to stay in Italy during the judicial proceedings.

The Foreign Minister criticized the opposition, stating that it was absurd for them, “who every day defends the independence of the courts,” to demand that the government put pressure on the Hungarian government to influence the judges’ decision.

Reacting to Foreign Minister Tajani’s address, Andrea Orlando of the Democratic Party (PD) said that the

Meloni government had not acted well in the case, neither in the interests of the accused nor in Italy.

Riccardo Ricciardi of the Five Star Movement (M5S), also in opposition, said that the government in Rome had not done enough to protect the Italian citizen. The leader of the pro-government Forza Italia (FI) in the Senate, Maurizio Gasparri,

called the parliamentary debate on the Salis case an “ideological debate.”

The senator said that a solution must be found instead of a political debate, as the latter is the only thing that does not help.

The group formed to secure the release of the detained woman has announced a demonstration in downtown Rome on February 15.

Fact

Ilaria Salis, is a political activist accused of being part of extremist far-left group ANTIFA that attacked people randomly in Budapest last year. The reason of the politically heated attack was that the victim wore similar clothes as the participants of the so called “breakout hike” on the “Day of Honor,” well-known around several far-right organizations. The group’s attacks were intended to send a message of deterrence to representatives of far-right movements by deliberately inflicting serious, even life-threatening injuries and by the circumstances of the unexpected attack.

Italian Minister Defends Judicial Autonomy in Budapest ANTIFA Case

Carlo Nordio and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani stressed that they would not interfere in the judicial proceedings.Continue reading

Via MTI; Featured Image: Facebook / Antonio Tajani