Italian Activist Goes On Trial In Hungary Assault Case

Budapest, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th May, 2024) An Italian anti-fascist activist on Friday went on trial in Hungary for allegedly attacking neo-Nazis in a case that has sparked tensions between the two EU members.

The case of Ilaria Salis, 39, has been front-page news in Italy after she appeared in court in January handcuffed and chained, with her feet shackled.

The teacher from Monza, near Milan, was arrested in Budapest in February 2023 following a counter-demonstration against a neo-Nazi rally.

She had been jailed awaiting trial until Thursday, when she was released into house arrest.

Her case has sparked tensions between Rome and Budapest despite the cordial relations between their prime ministers, Italy's Giorgia Meloni and Hungary's Viktor Orban, with Rome making several official complaints on behalf of Salis.

On Friday a smiling Salis arrived in court accompanied by her father, with Italy's ambassador and a throng of Italian journalists also in attendance.

Prosecutors allege Salis travelled to Budapest specifically to carry out attacks against "unsuspecting victims identified as, or perceived as, far-right sympathisers" to deter "representatives of the far-right movement".

She was charged with three counts of attempted assault and accused of being part of an extreme left-wing criminal organisation in the wake of a counter-demonstration against an annual neo-Nazi rally.

Salis denies the charges -- which could see her jailed for up to 11 years -- and claims that she is being persecuted for her political beliefs.