Italian woman held in Hungary is innocent, father says, amid protests over treatment

An Italian woman charged in Hungary with taking part in an anti-fascist group's assaults on people they viewed as far-right activists is innocent and "very strong", her father said, amid protests in Italy over her treatment by Hungarian authorities. Images of Ilaria Salis, 39, being led into court on Monday with her feet and hands bound and a chain round her waist made headlines in Italy, prompting opposition leaders to urge Rome's right-wing government to do more to help her.

An Italian woman charged in Hungary with taking part in an anti-fascist group's assaults on people they viewed as far-right activists is innocent and "very strong", her father said, amid protests in Italy over her treatment by Hungarian authorities.

Images of Ilaria Salis, 39, being led into court on Monday with her feet and hands bound and a chain round her waist made headlines in Italy, prompting opposition leaders to urge Rome's right-wing government to do more to help her. The Hungarian charge d'affaires was

summoned to the foreign ministry in Rome on Tuesday over the case, while Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told parliament that Salis faced "degrading and humiliating" treatment.

Prison authorities in Hungary repeatedly denied the allegations during a visit by journalists on Wednesday to the prison cell where Salis is being held with seven other women. After visiting her on Wednesday, Salis' father told reporters that she had received visits from psychologists, asking her about the conditions and her needs.

He had told Italian media earlier that she had been mistreated, for example by being denied a change of clothes, toilet paper and soap for at least a week after her arrest. "I think they started a process to do something better but at the moment there is no evidence of the impact of the improvements," Roberto Salis told reporters in front of the prison on Wednesday.

Ilaria Salis, an elementary school teacher from near Milan, is accused of taking part in serious assaults on far-right activists by a group of anti-fascist activists in Budapest last February. She pleaded not guilty on Monday. "Their aim was to assault selected victims by various means capable of taking their lives, in order to inflict on them the humiliation of serious, life-threatening injuries," the Hungarian court said in a statement.

Prosecutors are seeking an 11-year sentence for Salis, who is next due in court on May 24. "My daughter also stated during the trial that she is innocent. I think she will get out from this as innocent," her father said. "And my daughter is very strong...I'm sure that she will manage the situation and will cope with it."

Hungary's prison service on Wednesday showed reporters the cell of around 25 square metres where Salis is held, reiterating that it provided proper treatment in line with international standards, including meals three times a day paying attention to special dietary requirements, and access to healthcare services. In December 2023, the Hungarian Helsinki committee, a human rights group, reiterated concerns over overcrowding in Hungarian prisons, saying "a lasting solution to the structural problems of substandard detention conditions has yet to be implemented".

The case is politically difficult for Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, as she and deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini have close ties with right-wing nationalist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. (Writing by Krisztina Than; editing by Mark Heinrich)

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)