Brussels (ANSA) – The Legal Affairs Committee of the European Parliament has voted against the Hungarian authorities’ request to revoke the immunity of Italian Left (Avs) MEP, Ilaria Salis, with a narrow result of 13 to 12. Salis, who faced accusations of assaulting neo-Nazi militants in Hungary, previously spent nine months in poor prison conditions before her election to the European Parliament.
After the vote, the MEP from Monza smiled for the cameras, declaring: “We have stopped Orban’s revenge,” and expressed her “full trust” in the Parliament ahead of the final vote. Her father, Roberto, who had sought European intervention while his daughter was incarcerated, stated, “We are very happy, we hope for the vote in October.”
Buda pest responded swiftly, with government spokesman Zoltán Kovács accusing the European Parliament of endorsing extreme left terrorism, stating: “She is a criminal, we will not forget and we will not give up.” Prime Minister Viktor Orban criticized another vote that occurred that morning regarding the immunity of his political opponent Peter Magyar, labeling it an “infamy.”
The final decision now rests with the Plenary, and even if Salis’s immunity is upheld, this may not conclude the issue. Adrian Vazquez Lázara, the rapporteur advocating for the immunity’s revocation, argued that it should not apply to actions taken before the mandate, expressing concern that “the committee’s decision sets a bad precedent.” He predicted that Hungary would appeal to the European Court of Justice by September 23.
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