A man died in Szentes, Hungary last month, on 21 April, after being treated for injuries at a local university hospital. His family claims he sustained the ultimately fatal injuries during a police encounter that happened a month prior, and they also allege police brutality.
News reports on the incident agree that it was a drug-related encounter, with the man named Zoltán suspected of possession of illegal substances. The attempted arrest at his residence in Szeged, Hungary in March led to the police beating up the suspect. The family claims that he was dragged behind the police van even after he had sustained obvious skull and spine injuries.
However, the brother of the deceased talking to the media also described the policemen as wearing black uniforms, which would suggest that they were part of the Counter Terrorism Centre (TEK), but the agency has disputed those claims, stating that they were not deployed at the scene at the time. So, one fact in the brother’s testimony about the fatal event has already been debunked.
The Hungarian National Police Headquarters (ORFK) maintains that the officers were acting in accordance with the law. In their public statement, they claim that Zoltán was being investigated for ‘serious crimes’, without specifying them; and that once the man informed them that he was feeling unwell, they alerted the paramedics immediately.
The Prosecution Service of Hungary has announced that its Szeged branch has opened a criminal investigation into the matter. As part of that investigation, they also interviewed the deceased’s brother, who told the Hungarian news site Index: ‘I have to admit, they treated me very fairly. I got the impression that they really want to find out the truth,’ in reference to his interview with detectives.
There are multiple protests scheduled in Szeged against police brutality, with this incident in focus, for the coming weekend. These types of demonstration used to be common in the United States—however, they are quite new here in Hungary.
Related articles:
