Index – Abroad – Ilaria Salis wrote another open letter from her prison in Hungary

The lines of Ilaria Salis were read by her father at the march of the National Association of Italian Partisans (Anpi) in Rome. The participants of the commemorative march repeatedly chanted “Ilaria be free!”. Ilaria Salis also delivered the letter she wrote in her cell in Hungary to the Italian press.

In my country, remembering the end of the Second World War, the expulsion of the Nazi fascists (we also remember), which is due to the brave fight of partisan men and women. From my gray cell, I wish with all my heart that my country is worthy of its own history. Today, as you have done in the past, confront the injustices of the world by standing on the right side of history. Happy April 25!

can be read in Salis’ letter.

April 25 is considered a red letter holiday in Italy, it is the anniversary of the liberation of the country from fascism during the Second World War. Ilaria Salis was detained by the Hungarian authorities last February. The trial of the 40-year-old antifa activist accused of attacking passers-by in Budapest, among others, began this year.

On April 18, the alliance of the Green Party and the Italian Left (AVS) announced that it would run the woman as the leader of the list in the European Parliament elections in one of the Italian territorial voting districts of the political force.

Regarding the nomination, Roberto Salis said on Thursday that they are still discussing the modalities of the nomination, since “Ilaria’s situation is different compared to all other European candidates. Today, Ilaria is the embodiment of anti-fascism,” said the father.

According to the MTI report, the daily Corriere della Sera quoted the statements of Fidesz MEP Enikő Győri, former ambassador to Rome, according to which Ilaria Salis would not be the first member of the European Parliament to be “accused of a crime”.

Enikő Győri believed that the Italian left is using the court case as a tool for its own political purposes, primarily to attack Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. “Here, politics and justice are separated from each other, and I see that the Italian government also represents this position,” he declared.

It all started with a series of brutal attacks

As is known, a series of organized attacks began on the streets of Budapest last February. The first incident took place on Thursday, February 9, in Fővám Square in the city center, where three Polish citizens were attacked by a gang of seven or eight people: they ran over them and then started hitting them with vipers and other tools. The attack lasted a minute, after which the members of the group ran away from the scene. Two of the three victims suffered serious, broken injuries.

The next atrocity happened the next day, February 10, when a Hungarian man was attacked from behind in Gazdagrét. On the same day, in the evening hours, a Hungarian couple was assaulted in Bank Street in District V, and a German couple in District I.

The investigation revealed that the attackers followed each victim for a long time, some of them traveled with them by public transport, with several transfers.

The woman was first escorted on January 29 to the bv. colleagues before the judge of the Metropolitan Court. The Italian press was outraged at the sight of the woman pacing in handcuffs, and the case went so far that in the end, both Péter Szijjártó and Viktor Orbán had to consult with their Italian colleagues. Later, State Secretary Zoltán Kovács also spoke on the matter.

In an extraordinary way, even the press was given access to Ilaria Salis’ cell, as one of her former cellmates complained to the Italian media about the unholy conditions. Several Italian politicians wrote opinions about the case on their social media pages. Former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi directly sent a message to Viktor Orbán.

(Cover photo: Ilaria Salis on March 28, 2024. Photo: Bence Tövissi / Index)

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