ECHR rules Hungary failed to adequately investigate racially motivated abuse

Brussels, April 12 (MTI) – The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Tuesday ruled against Hungary in a non-final ruling, stating that an applicant’s allegations of racially motived abuse had been inadequately investigated in 2011.

The applicant, of Roma origin, filed the lawsuit against the Hungarian state after four men had insulted her and her children outside their house in Gyöngyöspata, in northern Hungary. According to reports at the time, one of the men approached her carrying an axe and a whip, shouting threats and threatening to kill her.

During the period of the incident, extremist organisations had held marches in the settlement where many Roma live and there was also large police presence in the village.

The applicant filed a complaint at the time for incitement against a group, but the authorities dropped the case a year later.

The ECHR ruled that “there has been a violation of Article 8 of the Convention on account of the inadequate investigations into the applicant’s allegations of racially motived abuse”.

The Hungarian state is to pay the applicant, within three months of the date on which the judgment becomes final, 4,000 euros in respect of non-pecuniary damages and 3,717 euros in respect of costs and expenses, the court said.

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters