Hungary has been accused of wanting to drive processes for political reasons, rather than judicial, against Hungarian EU parliament members and opposition leaders Péter Magyar and Klara Dobrev as well as Italian left-wing member Ilaria Salis.
This led to the EU parliament on Tuesday saying no to lifting the immunity from prosecution against all three – even if it happened with the smallest possible margin, 306 votes against 305, when it comes to the Italian.
Salis has in Hungary been accused of attempted assault when she participated in a protest against a neo-Nazi demonstration in 2023.
Conservative Magyar and social democrat Dobrev have in turn been accused of theft and defamation. Magyar's party tops the opinion polls ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections in Hungary this spring and is seen as the first in many years to have a real chance of challenging Orbán for power.
