"It is yesterday's news (Tuesday, ed.) that the court in Budapest brought forward to March 28 the hearing initially scheduled for May 24: this is a very positive development that indicates the willingness of the Hungarian judiciary to speed up the proceedings, as strongly requested by Italy. So evidently the judiciary has received messages that have come from Rome”. These were the words of Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, responding to a question time in the Chamber on the case of Ilaria Salis, the 39-year-old Italian woman detained in Hungary. "Last Thursday, in my briefing to the Chambers, I stressed that the government has been working from the beginning to protect the freedom and fundamental rights of Mrs. Salis: it seems to me that this path, also thanks to the punctual work of our embassy in Budapest, is bearing fruit," the head of the Farnesina claimed, adding: "Last Saturday I wanted to instruct our ambassador to verify the facts about the appearance in Budapest of a mural depicting Ilaria Salis hanging: the ambassador confirmed to the Hungarian authorities the priority that her safety is for the Italian government. A fair and speedy trial and protection of the detainee's rights, this is what the President of the Council and I have asked for our compatriot". "Mrs. Salis also confirmed yesterday to our ambassador a marked improvement in detention conditions, from hygienic and sanitary aspects to regular contact with family members: these are results obtained by working discreetly and gradually, avoiding polemics and forcing," adds Tajani, who reiterates his position on the hypothesis of domicile in the embassy: "I have already said that if the Ministries of Justice and Interior endorse it, I would not oppose it. It should be noted, however, that offering the embassy does not in itself increase the likelihood that the request for domiciliaries will be granted, because it would be tantamount, de facto, to the direct granting of domiciliaries in Italy, given what the situation is under all international agreements for embassies, which are inviolable; although they are not formally extraterritorial, they are inviolable. Therefore, the embassy does not appear to be a suitable place for the execution of coercive measures". (Photo by Olaf Kosimsky)
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