Four Romani men to receive compensation from police in Hungary

07 November 2001

On September 21, 2001, the Roma Press Center reported that four Romani men from Veresegyhaz in Pest County have been awarded 1.5 million Hungarian forints (approximately 5,700 euros) and a "private" letter of apology from the police in connection with an incident that took place in 1997. At 4:00 AM on August 13, 1997, the house of the Radics family, a Romani family living in Veresegyhaz was raided by the police during a robbery investigation. During the raid, the male members of the family, some of whom were in scant attire, were forced to the ground, handcuffed and taken into custody in Budapest. The innocence of the men was proven shortly after they were taken into custody. However, they were not released until approximately ten hours later, on the afternoon of the same day, still half-naked. In the ensuing civil lawsuit brought against the police by four of the men detained, the court ruled that three of the men were entitled to 250,000 Hungarian forints (approximately 1,000 euros) each, and the fourth was entitled to 400,000 Hungarian forints (approximately 1,500 euros). The money was awarded as material compensation for the unjustified and inhumane treatment to which they were subjected as suspects.

(Roma Press Center)