First yes to Ilaria Salis’ immunity, saved by one vote
Brussels (ANSA) – The Legal Affairs Committee of the European Parliament has rejected the revocation of immunity for the Italian Left (Avs) MEP, Ilaria Salis, requested by the Hungarian authorities, in a vote that concluded narrowly, 13 to 12. Salis, accused of having assaulted some neo-Nazi militants in the Hungarian capital, was imprisoned for nine months in dilapidated conditions before being elected as a Member of the European Parliament.
The MEP from Monza, after the vote, appeared smiling to the cameras and exclaimed: “We have stopped Orban’s revenge,” before renewing her “full trust” in the Parliament ahead of the final vote. “We are very happy, we hope for the vote in October,” emphasized her father Roberto, who, while his daughter was in prison, had come to Strasbourg to seek Europe’s intervention.
The reaction from Budapest was immediate: “The Eurochamber legitimizes extreme left terrorism,” wrote government spokesman Zoltán Kovács on X, adding threateningly: “She is a criminal, we will not forget and we will not give up.” Prime Minister Viktor Orban directed his ire at another vote, that for the immunity of his political opponent Peter Magyar, which also took place in the morning. A vote described as “an infamy” by the Hungarian premier.
The final word now goes to the Plenary, but even if the Chamber were to save Salis, it may not be the last chapter of this affair. For Adrian Vazquez Lázara, the rapporteur of the text that called for the revocation of immunity arguing that it cannot cover actions committed before the mandate, “the committee’s decision represents a bad precedent.” “I predict,” he added, “that Hungary will appeal to the European Court of Justice” (September 23).
