Italian Ilaria Salis was elected to the European Parliament yesterday. With the election, Salis will be released from pretrial detention in Hungary, where he could face up to 10 years in prison.
Hundreds of Europeans newly elected to the European Parliament have celebrated the MEP place during Sunday and Monday.
However, for few, the choice means as much as To Ilaria Salisfor the 39-year-old Italian anti-fascist left-wing activist and teacher.
Yesterday, Salis was elected to the European Parliament as a candidate of the Italian Greens and left-wing coalition.
Salis has been imprisoned in Hungary for almost 16 months, where he is accused of abuse and politically motivated criminal activity.
According to the prosecutor, Salis was part of a group of anti-fascists who attacked three people they thought were participants in a far-right event in Budapest.
Salis says he is innocent.
According to prosecutors, the attack took place during last year’s Honor Day event on February 11. On the day of honor, far-right activists celebrate the attempt by Hungarian soldiers and Nazi German soldiers to break through the Red Army from the siege of Budapest in 1945.
Prosecutors are demanding a prison sentence of up to more than 10 years for Salis for the alleged attack.
The people who were attacked have not identified Salis as the attacker during the trial. The attackers were wearing masks.
One of the attackers was a German citizen who pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three and a half years in prison.
Salis’ case gained a lot of attention earlier this year when he was brought to justice in Hungary in hand and leg irons.
Due to angry public feedback, Italy invited the Hungarian ambassador for an interview and Salis was transferred from prison to house arrest.
The coalition of the Italian greens and the left then took Salis as their candidate for the seat of parliament. According to Euronews, Salis received about 165,000 votes in Sunday’s elections and was elected to the European Parliament.
With the Meppi selection, Salis gets the immunity of a member of the European Parliament and that he was acquitted in Hungary.
Sources: AP, Reuters