Ilaria Salis, a school teacher and member of the far-left Antifa group from Milan, Italy, who was accused of involvement in a violent siege on a historical event in Budapest in 2023, will not face trial. Instead, Salis, who led the European Parliament (EP) ticket for Italy’s far-left green alliance, Alleanza Verdi e Sinistra (AVS), will take up a position as a Member of the European Parliament, granting her legal immunity.
The AVS secured 6.8% of the popular vote, the lowest of the six parties that won seats in the European Parliament from Italy. However, due to Italy’s large population, AVS will still have six seats in the Strasbourg Parliament out of Italy’s total of 76 MEPs. Salis’ nomination as a leading EP candidate by AVS followed international criticism of Hungary’s treatment of her while in custody.
Despite her seeming evasion of justice, Salis spent 15 months in jail awaiting trial and had to place a €40,000 bond to be released on house arrest. As she won’t need to remain under house arrest or face trial, she will have to relinquish her bond. This situation, combined with her time in jail, suggests that some measure of justice has been upheld.