Hungary: Romani man dies during police intervention, relatives demand public inquiry
16 January 2025
WE STAND BY OUR POLICE! in bold caps, was the social media response of the local police chief to calls for an independent investigation after the death of a 40-year-old Romani man following a struggle with arresting officers in east-central Hungary.
As reported in 444.hu, a police officer can be heard shouting “Stop, you motherfucker!” in a video of the incident, which shows the police pursuing, grappling with, and handcuffing the man, who can be heard shouting “I’m sick, I can’t bear it”, to which the police shout “give me your hand”. The man then lost consciousness, and neither the police officers nor the paramedics who arrived nine minutes later were able to resuscitate him. The video footage broadcast on national TV was heavily edited by the police.
The man, who died while being arrested on 22 December, was named as József Zsákai, from the town of Zagyvarékos, in Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok County. The police chase and arrest operation was just down to the fact that officers knew József Zsákai was driving without a valid licence.
On 8 January, the police issued a statement claiming that the man died during a lawful operation. Following a vehicle pursuit which ended in a collision, and the driver’s attempt to flee, “The police caught up with him several hundred meters after he ran between parked vehicles to elude his pursuers and fell. The man, who was still resisting, was handcuffed using physical force.”
According to the statement, the prosecutor's office was notified and launched an internal investigation which concluded that the police acted lawfully, and that an emergency autopsy confirmed “that the man's death was not caused by police action, especially unnecessary violence."
“Why did my brother have to die because he didn’t have a driving licence?”
Relatives dispute the police account, and told TV reporters that the police used excessive force and believed that the man was severely beaten, "kicked, sat on, squeezed the air out of him and shocked with a taser", traces of which they say remained on the man's head.
The police claimed the family’s accusations were based on a video of the incident which “was obviously edited and does not allow for a full assessment of the case”; and fully rejected “accusatory statements that question the legality of the measure, the professionalism and impartiality of the official procedure without good reason.”
In a Facebook video, József Zsákai’s sister Edit blamed the police for her brother's death, and claimed that when they caught him between two cars and brought him to the ground, despite him being compliant and begging them not to hurt him as he was suffocating, one officer continued to strike him kneeling on him, while his female partner repeatedly tased him. She claimed they only got off József when he was already dead and asked “Why did my brother have to die because he didn’t have a driving licence?”
The family have filed a complaint, and want an external investigation and an independent expert opinion on the cause of death, because the internal investigation merely stated that death was due to heart failure. This call was echoed by Roma civil organisations, which echoed the shock and anger felt by the local Romani community. In a statement issued on 4 January, the Méltóságot a Romáknak Mozgalom (Dignity for Roma Movement) called for a public investigation:
“Considering the history of racially driven assaults on Roma, the movement urges a fair and thorough investigation to uphold confidence in justice and harmonious coexistence. They also seek the suspension of the officers involved throughout the investigation to avoid additional local tensions.”
