Just as Italy must uphold the rights of prisoners in custody, Hungary must do so for Illaria Salis, an antifascist imprisoned there ahead of her trial for assaulting neo-Nazis in Budapest a year ago, according to foreign minister Antonio Tajani.
“We believe in the certaintly of legal punishment, but prisoners' rights must always be respected," Tajani told reporters at Italy's parliament.
"This applies to Salis and to prisoners detained in Italy...even the worst ones,” Tajani said.
The case of Salis, a 39-year-old- primary school teacher from Monza near Milan caused a dipomatic rift when Italy formally protested to Hungary at the "inhumane and degrading" conditions of her detention after she appeared in court last month shackled, handcuffed, chained and flanked by police in anti-riot gear.
Salis denies the charges against her. Meanwhile Tajani has asked his Hungarian counterpart for her be moved to "alternative detention" from prison, where Salis has denounced insanitary and harsh prison conditions.
Hungary denies any mistreatment of Salis, and its premier Viktor Orban has pledged to his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni that Salis will receive a fair trial and be detained in good conditions.
Salis' family and lawyers have asked for her to be put under house arrest in Hungary or Italy pending the conclusion of her trial, but Tajani has said Salis' deportation to Italy is unlikely before her trial concludes.
