EP Upholds Italian MEP Ilaria Salis’s Immunity Amid Controversy
Brussels: The European Parliament upheld the parliamentary immunity of Italian MEP Ilaria Salis, who is accused of involvement in an attack on far-right militants in Hungary, by one vote on Tuesday. In a closely contested secret ballot, 306 of Salis’s colleagues voted in favor of maintaining her immunity, while 305 voted against the motion.
According to Ansa News Agency, Budapest had requested that Green-Left Alliance (AVS) MEP Salis be stripped of her immunity so she could be tried for allegedly being part of a German-led ‘hammer gang’ that allegedly attacked neo-Nazis in the Hungarian capital. Salis, who was released from house arrest in Hungary after being elected to the European Parliament in June 2024, faced trial for her alleged involvement in the assault on far-right demonstrators in February 2023.
The conditions of Salis’s detention in Hungary, where she spent 16 months in jail, sparked protests from Italy. Reports of her being led into court with her ankles and wrists cuffed, a procedure Hungary describes as standard, caused widespread shock and indignation.
In response to the vote, Salis declared the outcome a victory for democracy, the rule of law, and anti-fascism. “This decision shows that resistance works,” she stated, emphasizing the importance of standing together against authoritarian forces. Salis urged continued efforts to protect anti-fascist activists challenging authoritarianism and fascist forces.
The European Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee (JURI) had previously voted to reject Hungary’s petition to strip Salis of her immunity, but the final decision rested with the parliament’s floor. Before the vote, Manfred Weber, president of the European People’s Party (EPP), indicated that the center-right group would oppose maintaining Salis’s immunity, arguing that the alleged crime occurred before her term.
Deputy Premier and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini, leader of the right-wing League party, expressed outrage at the vote’s outcome, particularly noting some center-right lawmakers diverged from their group’s stance. Salvini criticized the secret ballot as a tactic by left-wing groups to shield Salis from trial, calling the decision “shameful” on social media.