The Italian activist, who was arrested in Hungary, was granted immunity after being elected as an MEP. The plenary session of the European Parliament will decide on the suspension of immunity.
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00:00Ilaria Salis, who was elected as a member of the European Parliament while in prison,
00:05has spoken at her first press conference.
00:08At the Brussels event, she appeared visibly nervous.
00:12The Italian had been detained on suspicion of attempted life-threatening bodily harm,
00:16but while jailed, the anti-fascist activists managed to gain a mandate for the Green and
00:22the Left alliance in Italy.
00:24That meant that she was granted immunity so she could be released from house arrest in
00:28Hungary.
00:31I will fight for the detainees, I will fight for immigration, which is a historical responsibility
00:42that we must take seriously.
00:45I will fight for the juvenile condition, which is a very transversal area, which goes from
00:51the precariat to the institution.
00:54And I hope that finally the value of solidarity can be a guide for the construction of a Europe
01:04that we want.
01:08According to the Hungarian prosecutor's office, the Italian teacher and anti-fascist activist
01:13was part of street attacks committed in Budapest in February last year during a neo-Nazi event.
01:19Salis maintains that she doesn't want to recuse herself from the proceedings.
01:25I am a juvenile delinquent.
01:29My intention is not to recuse myself from a criminal proceeding.
01:33My intention is to be tried according to justice, that is, in respect of fundamental rights,
01:38according to a fair trial, with equal treatment before the law, in respect of the principle
01:44of proportionality.
01:46The upcoming plenary session of the European Parliament will decide on the suspension of
01:50immunity, after which the proceedings against her could potentially continue.
01:55If Salis is found guilty in Hungary, she could be sentenced to up to 11 years in prison.