But after a quick security check we’re in the building. Nobody asks for our personal identification; people seem satisfied when we explain that we are merely taking part in the proceedings as private individuals. We head to the first floor, in front of the courtroom, where people are already waiting – the atmosphere is visibly tense. The judge and her colleagues arrive, then a security officer asks us to clear the corridor. A police officer then steps up to an iron door and opens it – two, two-metre-tall, masked police officers armed from head-to-toe lead the “dangerous man” out, his hands are cuffed. A tall, gaunt man, with a startled look he searches for a familiar face and shyly gives us a nod. We file into the courtroom – the room is stifling and small, but there aren’t many of us, among the crowd besides the representatives of the right-wing media there are barely one or two civilians interested in the “terrorist” case. In the first row sit the accused, his customary guards, and the interpreter; the second and the third rows are taken by police witnesses – brawny, bald boys in elegant shirts, a tightly-knit group who dip into banter and jovial conversation from time to time during the hearing.
We arrive at the Szeged courthouse with cramps in our stomachs – we don’t have much experience in attending trials, plus we’re not even sure we’ll be allowed in, after all as we know today will be the continued hearing of an especially dangerous man, Ahmed H., charged with terrorist activity.
But after a quick security check we’re in the building. Nobody asks for our personal identification; people seem satisfied when we explain that we are merely taking part in the proceedings as private individuals. We head to the first floor, in front of the courtroom, where people are already waiting – the atmosphere is visibly tense. The judge and her colleagues arrive, then a security officer asks us to clear the corridor. A police officer then steps up to an iron door and opens it – two, two-metre-tall, masked police officers armed from head-to-toe lead the “dangerous man” out, his hands are cuffed. A tall, gaunt man, with a startled look he searches for a familiar face and shyly gives us a nod. We file into the courtroom – the room is stifling and small, but there aren’t many of us, among the crowd besides the representatives of the right-wing media there are barely one or two civilians interested in the “terrorist” case. In the first row sit the accused, his customary guards, and the interpreter; the second and the third rows are taken by police witnesses – brawny, bald boys in elegant shirts, a tightly-knit group who dip into banter and jovial conversation from time to time during the hearing.
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We are happy to see how many people came today to show solidarity! We have are here today on behalf of Migszol, the Migrant Solidarity Group of Hungary. We are one of the groups and individuals organizing the protest against the trial and the court decision of last Friday.
We are talking about the trial against 11 people, who were arrested out of the crowd last September and are found guilty now of violation of the border and mass riot. September was the time when the border fence to Serbia was closed and it became from one day to the other illegal - by criminal law - to cross to Hungary. The fence, which grossly violates people’s human right to move and seek asylum was put in place. So, while the government was transporting people themselves to Austria by busses the day before, on September 16th police was using tear gas and water cannons against people who wanted to cross. Out of the place of the protest, they arrested the 11 accused completely randomly, among those people who could not leave that quickly. Among them are very young and very old people, sick people, a person in a wheelchair. The most absurd thing is that nobody of the 10 found guilty on Friday was even participating in throwing stones. And this is not the only absurdity of the trial. After nearly 10 month of detention, in horrible conditions, after the falsification of translations and the biased refusal to take into consideration important video material and the brutal use of tear gas of the police, the accused were found guilty - while the access of international media to report about it was heavily restricted. 10 of the accused got prison sentences between 1 and 3 years and expulsion from Hungary for up to 10 years, while one, Ahmed, accused for terrorism - for throwing stones - is facing up to 20 years of imprisonment. This is the opposite of a just decision and this is no coincidence Trials as the one we are seeing here are in line and supporting the repressive Hungarian and also European migration politics.Seeking international protection, searching for safety, is made a crime and portrait as a threat to European nations. People fleeing from war are mistreated in such an inhuman way that makes them try to commit suicide. This makes us so angry. This trial is clearly a show trial. A show trial meant to state an example and to create fear. And this at the cost of the freedom and the lives of the 11 people. We demand the immediate freedom of all of them - freedom from imprisonment, in which some of the accused still are, but not only. Also freedom in a wider sense: freedom from the criminalization and the stigma, freedom from the threat of expulsion separating them from their families in the EU, freedom to find protection. We are standing here to protest against the injustice of the court and for freedom of movement. This report is based on the talk and discussion on an event on of the Röszke trials in Hungary, on refugees accused of violating the border fence during a riot/mass disturbance - which was held in Auróra, Budapest 24th 2016. As our guest, we had Tamas Fazekas, who works for the refugee program at the Hungarian Helsinki Committee. Fazekas is a criminal lawyer, the defendant of three of the accused, and works for the HHC since 2001. The views expressed in the event and in this blogpost are his own and not representative of the HHC. HHC has unique access to all refugee camps and detention centers in Hungary. They are independent from the Hungarian government and do not receive any project money the EU, and provide free legal aid for people seeking international protection in Hungary.
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AuthorThis blog is ran by members of Migszol, it features our analyses and reflections on asylum questions in Hungary in more depth. If you would like to write a guest piece, drop us a line! Archives
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