Hungary: Italian on trial over attack on far-right march

The trial of Italian anti-fascist activist Ilaria Salis is set to begin in Hungary on Friday.

Salis will stand trial in a Budapest court, where she will face charges of attacking two participants in a neo-Nazi march in February 2023.

On Thursday, the 40-year-old teacher was released from a Hungarian prison and placed under house arrest after paying 16 million forints (€41,000) in bail.

Incidentally, Salis is running in the upcoming European elections on June 9.

What are the accusations against Salis?

Salis faces three counts of attempted assault and accused of being involved in an extreme left-wing criminal organization following a counter-protest against an annual neo-Nazi rally in Budapest.

Prosecutors claim that Salis traveled to Budapest with the intention of attacking "unsuspecting victims identified as or perceived as far-right sympathizers" to discourage "representatives of the far-right movement."

If convicted, she could face up to 11 years in prison. Salis denies the charges, insisting that she is being persecuted for her political beliefs.

Salis's family and her defense team claim the trial is politically motivated to criminalize anti-fascism.

"In this country, those people are considered patriots while anti-fascists are enemies of the state," Roberto Salis told AFP news agency.

Her father also claimed that she was kept in inhumane prison conditions until January till her case gained media spotlight.

Case sparks tensions between Italy, Hungary

Salis' case has been a bone of contention between Rome and  Budapest, with the Italian government making official complaints on behalf of Salis.

Her first court appearance in January sparked outrage in Italy, after images showed her handcuffed, chained, with her feet shackled.

In Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orban's nationalist government has criticized the media for allegedly portraying Salis as a "martyr," instead of focusing on the "brutality" of her alleged crimes.

Orban's chief of staff, Gergely Gulyas, said on Thursday that "the European far-left is standing up for her" despite her "committing a brutal and public crime."

Italy's ambassador to Hungary is expected to attend the trial on Friday, the embassy told AFP.

Candidate for upcoming European elections

There is also a possibility that Salis might be freed without verdict rendered on her case.

Salis is running as a candidate in the European elections for the Italian Alliance-Green-Left coalition. If elected, she would gain parliamentary immunity and be freed.

Meanwhile, along with her, two German citizens are also facing trial. One of them has admitted to being guilty and already been sentenced to three and a half years in prison.

ss/fb (AFP, EFE, dpa)