Ilaria Salis, the 39-year-old teacher of Sardinian origins who has been in prison in Budapest for almost a year on charges of attacking two neo-Nazis, risks 11 years in prison.
This is the sentence proposed by the Prosecutor's Office in the indictment, the lawyer supporting the defence, Gyorgy Magyar, told ANSA. Salis, he added, suffers from the conditions of extreme imprisonment to which she is subjected, «her detention under strict surveillance, the prevention for a long time of contact with her family and the Italian authorities. She is treated like a dangerous international terrorist."
Requests that Ilaria Salis could serve her sentence under house arrest in Italy were rejected by the Hungarian authorities, the lawyer confirmed again.
«My client – he continues – will declare herself not guilty at the preliminary hearing, so it is certain that the trial will continue with hearings on the merits. At Monday's hearing, Ilaria will say that she did not commit the serious acts accused of her and which entail such heavy sanctions. The very fact that she was present at the attacks in question, or that she intervened when meeting the neo-Nazis is in doubt. The referral from the Prosecutor's Office is unfounded and there is no evidence even for conspiracy to commit crime, we will present our evidence. It is quite bizarre - the conclusion - that, in Hungary, neo-Nazis walk up and down freely, while anti-fascists are treated with extreme severity by the authorities."
