Facts you should know about last February’s antifa attacks in Hungary

Between February 9 and 11, 2023, five assaults took place in Budapest in connection with the “Day of Honour” event, during which a group of men and women attacked passers-by from behind and brutally assaulted them with various objects. The victims included Hungarian and foreign nationals. Of the nine people attacked, four suffered serious injuries and five light injuries, but several attacks had the potential to cause life-threatening injuries.

On October 31, 2023, three suspects were indicted by the Budapest Chief Prosecutor's Office in connection with attacks in Budapest motivated by extremist ideology:

• Ilaria Salis was charged with the following offenses, according to Paragraphs (1) and (8) of Section 164 of the Criminal Code, committed as a member of a criminal organization, as defined in Point 1. of Paragraph (1), Section 459 of the Criminal Code: attempted bodily harm endangering life, 2 counts as an accomplice and 1 as an accessory before the fact.
• Tobias Edelhoff and Anna Christina Mehwald, on two counts of participation in a criminal organization, under Paragraph (1) of Section 321 of the Criminal Code. (Edelhoff pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 3 years in prison.)

On January 29, 2024, at the first trial, Ilaria Salis was led into the courtroom restrained. The leftist media and human rights organizations immediately lost it. Ilaria Salis must have been kept in “inhumane conditions” that “go against human rights,” leftist commentators declared, jumping on the story.

Sure, she was restrained in the courtroom, and yes, she had already spent 11 months detained. But “inhumane”? Not really, no. Taken seriously due to the severity of the crime she’s charged with? More likely.

(By the way, it’s more than suspicious that Salis’ attorney is György Magyar, an openly leftist lawyer who is involved in organizing the leftist primaries and formerly led the offensive against the courts in what became known as the “prison business” scandal.)

Here are some facts about Salis’ case and her 11-month detention you should know before falling victim to this orchestrated, leftist attack aimed at destroying good Hungary-Italy political relations:

• The offenses in question are serious, both in Hungary and internationally. The measures taken in the proceedings are laid down in law and adjusted to the gravity of the charge and the offense committed.
• The credibility of Ilaria Salis is highly questionable, as evidenced, inter alia, by false statements she made about her education, family status and personal relationship, which were later proven to be false.
  • Immediately after her admission to the detention center, it was recorded in her personal data that her education had not progressed beyond the 8th grade of primary school. According to what she said during her initial interview, however, she had gained a Master's degree in Ancient Literature from the University of Milan and had been a secondary school teacher in Italy.
  • During this initial interview she said that she was single, had no partner, no children, and lived alone in an apartment in Italy. On November 6, 2023, however, her partner was recorded as her contact person. On January 17, 2024, she met her partner as part of a group visit.
• The allegations made by the Italian – and then Hungarian – media about the foreign detainee are untrue; they are simply lies and are strongly rejected by the Hungarian Prison Service.
• The conditions of the suspect's detention comply with all EU standards, both in terms of health and care provided.
• In Hungary, the relevant legislation and various professional protocols employ strict rules to regulate conditions of detention, which are regularly monitored by the Prosecutor’s Office – the body responsible for monitoring compliance with the law – and the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights. Detainees who feel that their rights have been violated in any way are able to lodge a complaint or a report.
• In Hungarian prisons, detainees are provided with three meals a day, and these meet the requirements of a healthy diet.
• In prison institutions, there are continuous hygiene checks, and prisoners receive proper medical care.
• The claim that rats are present is a lie, and prison service institutions meet high hygiene standards. This is borne out by the fact that, despite such institutions being closed communities, during the Covid pandemic no outbreaks of the disease developed in Hungarian prisons.
• Treatment in prison institutions is in accordance with the law, and the prison service carries out its professional activities with respect for human dignity. In the event of any misconduct or breach of regulations, whether by a detainee or a guard, prison governors will without exception take the necessary action.
• After their admission, foreign nationals are provided with a set of rules of procedure written in their own language so that they can familiarise themselves with the rules of the institution as quickly and as well as possible.
• Prison staff conduct everyday communication with foreign detainees in English and German, but for official business, interpreters fluent in the detainee’s mother tongue are always used.
• Her contact with her parents was regular and orderly.
• On 5 days between October 2023 and January 17, 2024, the detainee was visited by her immediate family and her lawyer a total of 7 times. The detainee was also visited twice by a consular official.
• Between March 2023 and January 30, 2024, she made a total of 323 telephone calls, two on a landline phone and 321 on a mobile phone.
• Between February 2023 and January 26, 2024, she was granted permission to make a total of 13 monitored video calls, of which 3 did not take place and 10 were completed.