Left-wing activist back in Italy after detention in Hungary

Rome, June 16 (IANS/DPA) Italian left-wing activist Ilaria Salis, who has been charged in Hungary for allegedly assaulting right-wing extremists, has returned to Italy.

Ilaria Salis returned to the northern Italian city of Monza with her father on Saturday evening after travelling back by car.

The Hungarian judiciary had previously released her from house arrest in Budapest.

"Yes, the nightmare is over," Roberto Salis told journalists in Monza after arriving with his daughter, who he said was "very tired."

"She has had a very intense period in detention," he added.

The Hungarian public prosecutor's office accuses the 39-year-old teacher of assaulting and injuring a group of right-wing extremists in Budapest in February 2023 together with other participants from the left-wing scene.

The Italian woman, who has denied the accusations, had been in custody since then, but was placed under house arrest after posting bail.

Last week, she won a seat in the new EU Parliament as a candidate for the Italian Alliance of the Greens and the Left and has since enjoyed immunity from prosecution. Her lawyer then applied for her release, which was granted by the Hungarian judiciary.

Following her release from house arrest, the competent court in Budapest said that it would apply for Salis' immunity to be lifted, stating that criminal proceedings were still pending against her.

The case has been causing friction between the EU partners Hungary and Italy for some time. When Salis' trial began in Budapest in January, she was brought into the courtroom in handcuffs and shackles, which caused outrage in her home country.

A German woman is also a co-defendant in the trial against Salis. She also denies any guilt.

Source: IANS