1988. február (17-31. szám) / HU_BFL_XIV_47_2
J FESSIPEÍISS ^rpn'íff? l_l LL' í? fx £^^t?q0űQ öXuiilC * Editor! György Krassó * 24/D Little Russell Street * London. WC1A 2HN * Tel. 01-430 2126 (írom abroad 441-430 2126) 27/1988 (E) 20th February, 1988 * The Hungárián Mriter Karoly Vicéi is Sentenced to Tvo and a Half Years Imprisonment in Yugoslavia On Február 19th the Subotica High Court continued and concluded the trial of Károly Vicéi a UU year old Hungárián vrriter vho lives in Senta and is accused stirring up hatred betueen nationalities. The sentence vas read out in the evening: Vicéi vas sentenced to tvo and a half years imprisonment. On the days of the previous trial - February llth-12th - Vicéi had denied his s" crime and asserted that he could nőt have made equivocal statements fór the very reason that he vas under constant police surveillance. In 1977 Vicéi vas sentenced to tvo years solitary confinement on the grounds that he "spread hostile propaganda" vhen he tried to organise an experimental theatre in Senta vith tvo friends. His recent case vas based on incriminating evidence from vitnesses bút all of those vho vere heard on February llth -12th denied their police confessions. In reports by the nevspaper Magyar Szó (Hungárián Word) based in Növi Sad on February 12th and 13th (the latter entitled "Confessions dictated to vitnesses") the police methods vhich emerged from the vitnesses’ testimonies vere announced in deteil. Tvo of the vitnesses - one of them since 1983 - vere presented from prison by the state security organs and vere induced to make false confessions by abuse of their broken spirits, threats, blackmail and promises to ease their situation in prison. They vere made to feel, as vere Vicéi’s colleagues, that they had to give incriminating evidence at all costs. A 22 year old housevife vént intő shock vhen they told her at the police station that Vicéi had been arrested. "After tvo and a half hours - vrites the Magyar Szó - all that they thought necessary had been dictated to her, she vas afraid that sne vould be locked up so she vrote dovn vhat vas dictated as fást as possible." An undergraduate reading Hungárián said that she had been to four hearings since 1986 at the Interior or state security organs in Növi Sad. At first ahe vas questioned fór almost seven continuous hours and later in the evening fór 2-3 hours. A text vas composed from her ansvers vhich she insisted vas very far from the truth. Finally "she vas told to remain silent about it all, she is of a nervous disposition and all this vore her out." The prosecution’s seventh - and last - vitness, Zsuzsa Hegedűs did nőt appear before the court despite an official summons. On February 19th she confessed irthat she had "forgottén to come", Vicéi’s tvo defense lavyers doubt this; according to them the vitness had in the meantime "been taken fór treatment". The sentence vas fór the most part based on her indictment although Hegedűs had said nothing independently bút had ansvered the chief justices questions "yes"-"no". The final vitness spoke Serbian and vhen the counsel fór the defense askedwhether she couLd repeatvhat Vicéi had allegedly said in Hungárián she started to stammer and - according to the Magyar Szó reporter - "nothing came to mind". The counsels fór the defense vished to confront Zsuzsa Hegedűs vith the other vitnesses vho vere allegedly present vhen Vicéi made his reputed statements bút the prosecutor objected. Milán Salatió, the chief justice decided nőt to allov a confrontation. The February 20th issue óf the Magyar Szó reported the declarations made by the vitnesses fór the defense as véli. László Rácz Szabó "said that three years ago he vas arrested on the street on his vay home from vork vithout a varrant and taken from Senta to Subotica to the Ministry of the Interior and questioned fór 12 hours until davn". After returning home Rácz Szabó informed the Interior Subscribers can use or quote the Hungárián October newsletters in totál or in detail .is long as the source is acknowledged.
