Contents
The Italian public is horrified that a woman is being paraded like a dog. What’s behind it?
What is it about? Ilaria Salis is a 39-year-old Italian woman who has been in prison in Hungary for around a year. She was arrested after a demonstration in Budapest against neo-Nazis in February 2023. She is accused of attacking and seriously injuring two neo-Nazis. However, neither man filed any lawsuits against her. She is also accused of belonging to the left-wing extremist German Hammer Gang.
Legend:
This picture shocked many Italians: Ilaria Salis in handcuffs, shackles and on a chain.
Screenshot/SRF/AP
Why is the case attracting attention now? Franco Battel, SRF Italy correspondent, says: “At the beginning of the week, photos were published in Italy of the almost 40-year-old woman being brought into the courtroom on a chain, her hands and feet tied. “It’s an image straight out of the Middle Ages, as if Ilaria Salis were a dog being led on a leash,” says the correspondent. These images caused outrage in Italy.
Why do many Italians sympathize with women? This is because Italian media published excerpts from Ilaria Salis’ letters to her father, the correspondent said. “She describes that she rarely gets clean laundry and that, for example, menstrual pads are withheld from her. There are vermin in her cell – which is shared with other women. “You don’t give her her own shoes, but shoes that are too small and every step hurts.”
What has the Italian Prime Minister done? Giorgia Meloni spoke about the case on the sidelines of the EU summit in Brussels. News agencies report that she asked him about Ilaria Salis’ prison conditions. Meloni calls for a quick verdict for Ilaria Salis; she hopes Salis can prove her innocence. While prisoners in Italy are never put in shackles and chains, this is normal in Hungary. And further: “This is how it is done in sovereign states, including in the West.”
Why is the case sensitive for Meloni? If Meloni doesn’t manage to avoid further humiliating images of Salis, this will reflect on Meloni, says the SRF correspondent. “The public could get the impression that the Prime Minister is incapable of protecting an Italian woman in distress.”
What is the relationship between Orban and Meloni? The two maintain a friendly relationship. “This friendship with Orban certainly never helped her electorally,” says Battel. Orban is also known as an autocrat in Italy. Meloni could certainly put a certain amount of pressure on Orban through this friendship, the correspondent only says: “At some point Orban will say publicly that it is not him who decides on this case.”
What is the underlying reason for the excitement in Italy? It’s no longer just about Ilaria Salis’s individual case, says correspondent Battel. “In Italy, national honor can quickly become a matter of concern, and this case has the potential to harm Meloni.”