Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor
Orban's Fidesz party said Wednesday it was good that Italian
Premier Giorgia Meloni is respecting Hungarian judicial autonomy
in the case of Ilaria Salis, an Italian antifascist on trial in
Budapest for allegedly attacking two neoNazis in the Hungarian
capital last year.
Salis, a 39-year-old elementary teacher from Monza near Milan,
has been put up for the European Parliament in June 8-9
elections by Italy's Green-Left Alliance (AVS), in a bid to
secure her release from contentious detention conditions.
"The left in Italy is exploiting this legal case for its own
political purposes and to attack Meloni," said Fidesz MEP and
former Hungarian ambassador to Rome, Eniko Gyori, speaking to
the Italian press in Strasbourg on the Ilaria Salis case.
Meloni has repeatedly said Hungarian justice is independent
despite EU reprimands to Budapest on rule of law issues.
"For us, politics and justice are separate, and I see that they
are also separate for the Meloni government," said Gyori.
"I very much appreciate that the Meloni government respects the
independence of justice, no matter in which country a trial
takes place".
While stressing the autonomy of the Hungarian judiciary, Rome
has however repeatedly protested after Salis was.led into court
on a chain with her wrists and ankles shackled.
Italian centre-left opposition parties have criticised Meloni
for declining to use her influence with her friend and ally,
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
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