European Parliament Upholds MEP Ilaria Salis' Immunity Amid Political Tensions

In a surprising twist, the European Parliament has unanimously decided to maintain the legal immunity of Italian MEP Ilaria Salis, rejecting the Hungarian government's unprecedented request for its revocation. Last week, there was considerable speculation regarding the outcome, especially after the European Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee initially voted in favor of preserving Salis' immunity. However, the final vote, conducted behind closed doors, saw support stem largely from independent MEPs and members of the European People's Party (EPP), which is the largest political faction in the Parliament. Ilaria Salis, representing the Green and Left Alliance (AVS), faced serious allegations in Hungary, claiming she assaulted neo-Nazis during a far-right demonstration in Budapest in 2023. Salis has consistently denied these charges, and her situation escalated to a 15-month period of preventive detention in Hungary from February 2023 to May 2024. Following her election to the European Parliament in June 2024, Salis was released from custody but has continued to maintain that a fair trial is impossible in Hungary, wishing instead for her case to be heard in Italy. The vote saw a cementing of positions among the political groups within the European Parliament. Left-leaning factions, including The Left, Socialists and Democrats, the Greens, and Renew Europe all pledged to vote against revoking Salis' immunity. Collectively, these groups accounted for 310 votes—41 short of the total needed for immunity revocation if all members had participated in the vote. In contrast, conservative and far-right groups, such as the European Conservatives and Reformists, the Patriots of Europe, and the Europe of Sovereign Nations, which includes parties like the League and Brothers of Italy, were unified in their call for Salis' immunity to be lifted. The crux of the decision hinged on the EPP’s 188 members. Although the party's president, German MEP Manfred Weber, had vocally supported the revocation, suggesting that the allegations predated Salis' election and thus should not be shielded by parliamentary immunity, the party harbors a diverse range of opinions among its members. As a result, some EPP members diverged from Weber's directive in their voting. The decision was further complicated by two additional immunity requests put forth by the Hungarian government against MEPs who are staunch critics of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The cases of Péter Magyar, from a party leading in Hungarian polls, and Klára Dobrev, leader of the left-leaning Democratic Coalition, were also set for discussion in the Parliament, casting an influential shadow over the vote concerning Salis. Ultimately, the European Parliament’s refusal to revoke Salis' immunity underscores a broader conflict within European Union politics, highlighting the tension between emerging authoritarianism in Hungary and the principles of democratic governance upheld by the EU. It raises questions about the motivations behind such legal actions and whether they represent genuine concerns for law and order or are merely extensions of political retaliation against opposition figures. As the political landscape continues to evolve, the implications of this decision will undoubtedly shape both internal dynamics within the EU and relationships between member states. Related Sources: • Source 1 • Source 2