EP Committee Votes to Maintain Ilaria Salis’s Immunity

Brussels: The European Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee (JURI) on Tuesday voted to reject a petition from Hungary to strip Italian MEP Ilaria Salis of her parliamentary immunity. Salis was released from house arrest in Hungary, where she was on trial for alleged involvement in an assault on far-right demonstrators in February 2023, after being elected as a member of the European Parliament for the Italian Green and Left Alliance (AVS) in June 2024.

According to Ansa News Agency, although the committee rejected Budapest’s request, the final word will go to the floor of the European Parliament early in October. “The JURI Committee today decided to defend my immunity and the independence of Parliament, and to reject the Hungarian regime’s request for its waiver,” Salis stated. She expressed confidence that the Parliament would affirm this decision in the upcoming plenary session, emphasizing the importance of the rule of law and democratic guarantees.

The committee decided to reject stripping Salis of her
immunity with 13 votes against and 12 in favor, with the votes of two members of the center-right European People’s Party (EPP) proving decisive, sources said. Salis’s alleged mistreatment during her 16-month detention in Hungary sparked protests from Italy. Notably, her courtroom appearances, where she was led in chains, drew widespread shock and indignation.

Deputy Premier and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini, the leader of the right-wing League party, criticized JURI’s decision. “Those who do wrong, don’t pay,” Salvini commented via X, expressing his disapproval of the committee’s choice. “Shameful, shameful, shameful.”