1987. április (33-52. szám) / HU_BFL_XIV_47_2
®sííli 24/0 Littl« fWcll Street, LONDON, W-C.i Ttl.04-M H u ■ G. krasaA 44/1987 /E/ 17th April, 1987 Imprisonment fór Rejecting Military Service in Hungary Estimates pút the number of the young mén who reject armed military service on grounds of conscience and are as a consequence sentenced fór 2-3 years long imprisonment tőbe 70-15t) a year. Sentences sharpened recently; the length of imprisonment is, as a rule, nearer to three years and the Military Court usually sentences pacifists fór terms to be served in prison, instead of jail, which means a harder treatment according to Hungárián regulations fór the enforcement of punishment. The latest (No.3 1987) issue of the samizdat journal "Demokrata** published an article/written by Karoly Kiszely who was likewise sentenced earlier, on a few such sentences got to light in the last weeks. We print the account in a shortened form. Trial fór Ten Minutes, Imprisonment fór Three Years In February 1987 further dozens of pacifists rejecting weapons on grounds of conscience were arrested by various military prosecutor's offices of the country. At the Budapest Military Court pacifists were sentenced via a so-called speeded-up procedure fór 30-36 months long prison terms, among others András Kozák (Witness of Jehova), Zoltán Schmeller (Witness of Jehova) and Ernó Tóth (Reformed Adven- tist). The "trials" lasted fór 10-15 minutes. In the case of András Kozák and Zoltán Schmeller Major dr István To'th has been the prosecutor. Major Tóth alsó acted - in an unlawful way - as prosecutor earlier versus Gábor Csizmadia, Károly Kiszely, dr József Merza among others. It is he, who "investigates" the case of the democratic pacifist Zsolt Keszthelyi. Major Tóth, as a rule, doesn't inform the defendants about their rights and he usually conceals from them the opportunity to study the fiié. He is anxious to act in such a way that no one should possibly attend the "public" trials. He is unable to define the concept of conscience and that of its freedom. Though he has alsó been dealing with Catholic pacifists since 11 years already, he doesn't know the official stand of the Catholic Church on this issue which forbids the handling of weapons against one's conscience. The case of the forester József Katona rejecting military service on grounds of conscience became known just now. He's been sentenced in 1986 fór 31 months in jail by the Kaposvár Military Court and serves his sentence in Baracska being forced to work in an arms factory. He is a Catholic bút doesn't belong to the "basic community" led by Father Bulányi. Károly Kiszely 4 -3
