2006. december. 11. 15:58 2006. december. 11. 15:59 English version

Hungarian police under siege

The delegation of the European People's Party in the European Parliament has held a hearing on the events in Budapest on 23 October.

The party's Dutch vice-chairman said the events of that day had brought shame on the whole of Europe. Katalin Levai called the events a political conflict that could only be resolved by political means.

Istvan Szent-Ivanyi said parliament and other official bodies had failed to investigate the events of the past month and a half and draw the necessary conclusions.

At the meeting, four Hungarians who had taken part in the demonstrations of 23 October described what they had seen and what had happened on that day in Budapest. Imre Cigany said police officers had sprayed him with tear gas at close range and shot him in the legs with rubber bullets. Gabor Fabian was heading home from the Fidesz rally when he was caught by police. They broke his leg and one of his fingers. They handcuffed him and shouted that he was a "vile Fidesz croney".

Peter Reiner was standing on Alkotmany utca when police officers started firing at him. Levente Muranyi and his companions were shot with tear gas granades as they tried to reach Kossuth ter. All four claimed the protestors were peaceful and that the police had adopted aggressivve tactics. Video evidence was also played at the meeting.

Alongside Hungarian lawyers and opposition Hungarian MEPs, the opposition MPs Jozsef Szajer and Kinga Gal also spoke.

Szajer said it was unacceptable that such events had taken place in Hungary, but once this had happened, the relevant authorities had a duty to investigate. This had not happened, he said, making it necessary to hold the EPP meeting. "We did not want to do this, but we were forced into it," he said. Kinga Gal emphasised that such events could not take place in an EU member state, and it was unacceptable that there had been no legal consequences.

Camiel Eulings, the Dutch vice-chairman of the EPP, told the meeting that the events of 23 October were horrifying and that police had been very aggressive. This cast not just Hungary, but the whole of the European Union in a bad light. It brought shame on Europe, he said.

There was talk of the EPP setting up a committee of investigation, but it was decided first to await the conclusions of the Hungarian authorities' investigations.

2006. november. 30. 11:20 English version

Scandals at the Hungarian universities

Scandals surrounding the University of Cluj in Transylvania and the Slovakian government's decision to award development grants in a way that discriminates against Hungarians underpin our concern that the situation of Hungarians beyond the border is getting worse. Even though there are levers we can pull in Brussels and Strasbourg to defend the interests of the Hungarians of Slovakia and Romania, we have achieved little.

2006. november. 29. 18:32 hvg.hu English version

Police solutions

Peter Gergenyi's response to the committee investigating the TV headquarters siege has been published. He calls the committee members biased and points the finger of blame at Istvan Ignaczi, commander of the Pest County Police.

2006. december. 01. 16:30 HVG English version

The majority is cutting out the branch from beneath them

Hungarian Roma are unwilling to get into arguments with the local authorities on whom they depend, prefering to put up with legal abuses, according to Erzsebet Mohacsi, a 33-year-old Roma civil rights lawyer.

2006. november. 13. 11:10 HVG English version

Police and protesters

The criminal psychologist Jozsef Vegh is a busy man, known for his frequent media appearances. I bumped into him in the foyer of the television building, where he was waiting to give an interview. Even now, you can only enter the former Stock Exchange Palace from the rear entrance on Nador utca - the main entrance still bears the scars of the siege. Jozsef Vegh's work means he knows the leaders of the police, and he is also a specialist in hostage negotiations.

2006. november. 09. 14:35 hvg.hu English version

Gergenyis farewell

In Hungary, it is customary to pity those who resign or are pushed, and this sympathy often obscures the true reasons for a senior figure's departure.

2006. november. 30. 16:12 hvg.hu English version

László Tamás Papp

Wild conspiracy theories are doing the rounds among the right. Supposedly, Gyurcsany deliberately 'unleashed' rioters on the TV headquarters in an attempt to win back the sympathy of a Hungarian public traditionally keen on law and order. If the government wants to refute these rumours, it will need to explain why the head of the Budapest Police, our Iron Prefect, went rusty that night, and who is ultimately responsible for what happened.