The Budapest court did not grant house arrest to the 39-year-old Milanese teacher, who has been in prison for 13 months on charges of attacking some far-right militants. The girl was brought to court again in handcuffs and chains. Next hearing on May 24th. The political conflict is heating up in Italy. Meanwhile, the Milan Court of Appeal denies the transfer of co-investigated Gabriele Marchesi to Hungary and releases him
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“The circumstances have not changed” and “13 months in prison are not that many”. With these two sentences, judge Jozsef Sòs yesterday extinguished Ilaria Salis’s hopes of leaving prison, where she has been imprisoned since February 2023, for await the outcome of her trial under house arrest in Hungary. The 39-year-old Milanese teacher, in prison for 13 months on charges of having attacked some far-right militants (and of being part of a criminal association), therefore remains imprisoned at least until the next hearing, which will be held on May 24, when a victim and two witnesses will be heard.
The judge’s decision
The decision of the Hungarian justice system came without hesitation: no discount for the Italian activist. The charges are too serious to grant her house arrest, even with the electronic bracelet, and to change her status as a dangerous prisoner. Salis was transferred with handcuffs and ankle chains, as well as being held by an officer with another chain like a leash. “She was still treated like a dog”, her father Roberto vented, after just over three hours of hearing. The defense argument focused on the “important changes” compared to the previous hearing was of no use: Ilaria now has a Hungarian residence where she can also stay with the electronic bracelet and carry out work online. Furthermore, she has always behaved well in prison and she has “no intention of running away or hiding”. Even Salis, questioned by the judge, confirmed: “I have no intention of disappearing or running away and therefore I can stay under house arrest even in Milan”. The prosecutor, however, confirmed the accusations, asking not to lighten the precautionary measures.
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Budapest, trial of Ilaria Salis: house arrest denied
The next moves
As reported by Corriere della Sera, Ilaria Salis’ parents had found accommodation for house arrest in Budapest and everything was ready, including a deposit of 40 thousand euros to be paid to the State. But the girl will remain in prison instead. Father Roberto Salis attacked Orban’s government, “which has given another show of strength and doesn’t care about European guarantee positions”, and the Italian one “which should examine its conscience” given the “bad impression” . Minister Tajani judges the choice not to grant house arrest to be “wrong”, protests for the treatment of the chains but invites us to “not politicize the case” referring to “diplomacy and prudence”. Ilaria’s father instead appeals for solidarity, for “a protest against Italian inaction” because he certainly has no intention of stopping: “That’s how it went, but we’re not giving up. I’ll get Ilaria out, there’s no doubt.” And in the evening he anticipated his intention: “At this point I will have to make a call to the Quirinale to try to get a hand from the President of the Republic”. The secretary of the Democratic Party Elly Schlein speaks of an “inadmissible slap” against which an appeal will be lodged, so as a complaint will probably be presented to the European Court of Human Rights.
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Ilaria Salis, no house arrest and in the courtroom with chains: the images
The Marchesi case
In parallel to the Salis affair, yesterday there was important news for the co-suspect Gabriele Marchesi. The Italian judiciary decided not to transfer him to a Hungarian prison and to release him, thus making a clean sweep of the European arrest warrant issued by Budapest. This is due to the concrete risk of “inhuman and degrading” treatments and the failure to respect the principle of proportionality and therefore the absence of balance between the needs of safety and punishability with the fundamental rights which, it is feared, have been violated. The boy is accused, like Ilaria Salis, of potentially lethal injuries for having come to blows with three far-right exponents during a demonstration over a year ago in the Hungarian capital. Who got away with a 5-day prognosis. The Fifth Court of Appeal, after four months of checks, closed the proceedings against the 23-year-old bricklayer, placed under house arrest a few days after his capture by the authorities of the country led by Viktor Orban: it rejected the request for surrender and the precautionary measure against the young man was revoked.
