Rome, 29 March 2024 – “Chains and balaclavas, do you realise? Balaclava. She wasn’t even a dangerous Camorra member.” Ivan Scalfarotto, senator of Italia Viva, former undersecretary for Foreign Affairs, cannot understand it. We reach him on the phone outside the courthouse in Budapest. Witness with five other deputies and representatives of civil society – among them the cartoonist Zerocalcare – “an emphatic and theatrical representation”.
Yet there is little pretense, Senator. Ilaria Salis, the Italian activist in prison awaiting trial in Hungary after the riots on the sidelines of a demonstration, was expecting house arrest and instead was sent back to her cell.
From left Ivan Scalfarotto, group leader of Italia viva, and Ilaria Cucchi, outside the court in Budapest (Ansa). From the right Laura Boldrini and Nicola Fratoianni
“An outcome that no one expected. So much so that the girl’s family and lawyers had already arranged the logistics for her transfer to house arrest and found the 40 thousand euro bail”.
And instead?
“Theatre. After a beautiful defense speech by the Salis lawyer, the prosecutor’s office sided against house arrest, at which point the judge should have heard the witnesses but there were insurmountable technical problems.”
That is to say?
“The video call did not start. In 2024, in an EU state, a witness is not heard because the video call does not start. But the point, in fact, is precisely that.”
What are we in the European Union?
“Yes. A community that shares ideals, rules, ethics. And in which instead a member state allows itself to keep chained hand and foot a foreign activist who has been awaiting trial for thirteen months for disturbances at a demonstration, accused of having caused bruises healed in 5 days to a neo-fascist protester”.
How did you find it?
“Like a woman deprived of her freedom. And humiliated by chains. But she’s a little girl, who can she scare? Or how do they think she could escape?”
It is the Hungarian procedure.
“And it must be changed, if they want to stay in Europe. And be careful: this is now a political case, because we are not talking about one of the 2,600 Italians detained abroad, as Tajani says. Here we are talking about something else.”
Of what, in your opinion?
“Of a cultural clash between Hungary and the EU countries. And of a show of strength by Orban in demonstrating autonomy. In wanting to say: I’m in charge at home. Which is fine, but then you give up EU funds. Conversely, you respect the rules of our common home. This is why we Italian deputies came here. For Ilaria and to defend a rule of law, that of the European states that we want to build”.
Simone Arminio
