STRASBOURG: EU lawmakers on Tuesday narrowly rejected Hungary’s request to strip left-wing Italian lawmaker Ilaria Salis of her parliamentary immunity for alleged violence at a neo-Nazi rally in Budapest.
The European Parliament in Strasbourg backed the anti-fascist activist — who has become a high-profile foe of Hungary’s nationalist government — by 306 votes to 305 in a secret ballot.
“This vote is a victory for democracy, rule of law, and antifascism,” Salis said in a statement.
Salis, 41, was arrested with other activists in Budapest in February 2023 while taking part in a protest against an annual commemoration by neo-Nazis.
She was released from detention after more than a year, following her election to the EU parliament with a small leftist party in 2024.
Hungarian prosecutors requested an 11-year prison sentence and the case made international headlines when Salis appeared in a Budapest court with her feet shackled.
Salis has requested to be tried in Italy.