Trial in Hungary

Uproar over left-wing extremist brought forward in chains

Graffiti by Ilaria Salis and her chains on a building façade near the Hungarian embassy in Rome(Bild: AP)

The case of a left-wing extremist imprisoned in Hungary, who is now on trial, has become a political issue at the highest level. The lawyers of the 39-year-old primary school teacher and activist are complaining about the "inhumane" treatment of their client, who is accused of assaulting and injuring a group of right-wing extremists in February last year together with others from the left-wing scene.

The Foreign Ministry in Rome asked the government in Budapest to allow the 39-year-old to leave the country. Head of government Giorgia Meloni has now also intervened and discussed the case with her Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban. At a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the special EU summit in Brussels, Orban emphasized his commitment to ensuring that "the accused is treated fairly".

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban discussed the case of Ilaria Salis at a bilateral meeting.(Bild: APA/AFP/Ludovic MARIN)

Lawyers fight for house arrest for defendant
Ilaria Salis' lawyers declared on Wednesday that they intend to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. Hungary has violated Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects people from inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. "The violation is blatant when you consider how our client was led into the courtroom in handcuffs," said lawyer Eugenio Losco. He is fighting for his client to be granted house arrest.

A trial against the Milanese woman and a co-defendant German couple began in Budapest on Monday, during which they were brought into the courtroom in handcuffs and shackles (see tweet above). This caused a stir in Italy. The Italian woman faces up to eleven years in prison. Her father had reported several times about the inhumane conditions under which his daughter was being held in a prison in Budapest. A German co-defendant had pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years in prison in the first instance on Monday. The teacher and the German co-defendant pleaded not guilty.

"Hammer gang" hunts down right-wing extremists
The Milanese woman describes herself as an anti-fascist. She is accused of attacking a group of right-wing extremists in February last year with other participants from the left-wing scene who wanted to commemorate an action by the Waffen SS and Hungarian soldiers in 1945. According to the authorities, nine people were injured, six of them seriously. Footage from a surveillance camera shows the brutal attack by the anti-fascists. However, it is not clear from these sequences whether Salis is actually among the attackers (see tweet below).

The German couple are said to belong to the "Hammer Gang" group led by German left-wing extremist Lina E., which has set itself the goal of physically attacking suspected neo-Nazis and right-wing extremists and inflicting serious to life-threatening injuries on them.