BUDAPEST (Reuters) – An Italian woman charged in Hungary with taking part in an anti-fascist group’s assaults on people they viewed as far-right activists will remain in jail after a judge denied her attorney’s request that she be released into house arrest.
Ilaria Salis, a 39-year-old teacher, is accused of taking part in a serious assault on two far-right militants by a group of anti-fascist activists in Budapest last February. She pleaded not guilty at a hearing in January.
Prosecutors are seeking an 11-year sentence for her.
Salis appeared in a Budapest court on Thursday for a hearing in which her attorney presented a request that she be released into house arrest either in Italy or Hungary.
Judge Jozsef Sos denied the request, saying there was a risk of her fleeing or going into hiding. Salis’ next hearing was set for May 24.
In January Italy protested to Hungarian authorities over the treatment of Salis who appeared in court in shackles, with photos of her making headlines in Italy.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has brought up Salis’ case with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, and said last month the activists held in Hungary should be granted a quick trial.
(Reporting by Anita Komuves; Editing by Alison Williams)
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