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Italy has expressed strong opposition to the treatment of Ilaria Salis, a 39-year-old Italian woman, by Hungarian authorities after images of her chained in a Budapest courtroom were leaked.
Salis is on trial in Hungary for allegedly attacking neo-Nazis, and an image of him shared widely by a major Italian newspaper has sparked outrage. Italy formally summoned the Hungarian ambassador to express its concerns.
Salis, a teacher from Monza, near Milan, was arrested in Budapest in February last year after taking part in the annual “Day of Honor” demonstration against neo-Nazi rallies, according to reports.
She faces three charges of attempted assault and is accused of having ties to far-left organizations.
Sallis denies the charges and could be sentenced to up to 11 years in prison.
In the images, she can be seen in a courtroom with her hands and feet tied and chained.
“I think this time we have gone too far,” Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told RAI radio. “Treatment of prisoners in this manner is truly inappropriate and inconsistent with our legal culture.”
Prosecutors argued that Salisu came to Hungary “to carry out swift attacks potentially causing serious injury against people believed to be far-right.”
Her case gained attention after her father, Roberto Sallis, spoke publicly about the harsh conditions of her detention.
“We are members of the European Union and our people have rights that must be respected,” Tajani said. He suggested putting the women on house arrest rather than prison.
Sallis is scheduled to go to trial on May 24.
Meanwhile, an online petition calling for her return to Italy has gained overwhelming support, with more than 90,000 signatures.
Salisu’s lawyer accused Hungary’s judicial system of being “very repressive” and said it was “very difficult to be optimistic” about the outcome of the trial.
Her father, Roberto Sallis, was quoted as saying: TGCOM24“It was such a shock to see my daughter Ilaria dragged to court in chains. She needs to be released from the prison in Budapest. The pictures speak for themselves. Ilaria went to Italy I have to go home.”