Italian MEP Salis Faces Vote on Immunity Amid Allegations of Assault Involvement

Strasbourg: The centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) is calling for Italian MEP Ilaria Salis to be stripped of her parliamentary immunity. Salis is accused of participating in an attack on far-right militants in Hungary, a charge that has led to a contentious debate ahead of a European Parliament vote on the matter.

According to Ansa News Agency, Budapest has requested that the immunity of Green-Left Alliance (AVS) MEP Salis be lifted to facilitate her trial for allegedly being part of a German-led ‘hammer gang’ accused of attacking Hungarian neo-Nazis in Budapest in 2023. EPP President Manfred Weber emphasized the importance of upholding the rule of law and adhering to European Parliament rules, stating that Salis’ immunity should be revoked because the alleged crime occurred before her term began.

Salis was released from house arrest in Hungary, where she was on trial for her alleged involvement in the February 2023 assault on far-right demonstrators. Her release followed her election to the European Parliament for AVS in June 2024. The conditions of her detention in Hungary, described as inhumane during her 16-month imprisonment, sparked protests from Italy. Salis was also brought into court in chains, with her ankles and wrists cuffed, a practice Hungary claims is standard but one that caused significant outrage.

The European Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee (JURI) previously voted against Hungary’s petition to remove Salis’ immunity. However, the ultimate decision now rests with the full parliament, which will soon cast its vote.