1988. október (246-270. szám) / HU_BFL_XIV_47_2
©ml Editor: György Krassó * 24/D Little Russell Street * London, WC1A 2HN * Tel. 01-430 2126 (írom abroad 441-430 2126) 264/1988 (E) 24-th October, 1988 Karoly Vicéi*s Sentence is Invalidated The Senta writer Karoly Vicéi’s case was tried by the council session of the Vojvodina Provinciái Suprerae Court on September 15th bút a decision was nőt reached, Today, October 24-th, more than a month later the Supreme Court’s decision was delivered to the defendant in which his appeal was accepted and the lower court’s two and a half year prison sentence was repéaled. The case was transferred to the Subotica High Court where a new criminal council have to repeat the lower court’s proceedings. The Supreme Court rejected the prosecutor’s proposal to increase the punishment. Vicéi was first sentenced to two years specially severe imprisonment in 1977 after he had tried to organise a Hungárián experimental theatre in Senta. After serving his sentence he was under continual police supervision and on November 5th last year he was arrested again after initiating proceedings against the Vojvodina Ministry of Interior fór illegally refusing his passport application. On February 19th he was sentenced to two and a half years imprisonment by the Subotica High Court after he was pronounced guilty of infringing Yugoslav law by inciting religous and nationality intolerance. The Novisad session of the Provinciái Supreme Court, which released Vicéi on February 29th, described the decision of the lower court as obscure, incomprehensible and defective. The Subotica High Court decided in an autocratic manner which parts of the contradictory and confused witness confessions to adopt and regard as essential. The proceedings of the lower court did nőt investigate the authenticity of the wit- nesses’ words and did nőt order a confrontation between the Crown Witness Zsuzsa Hegedűs and the accused. The decision did nőt corroborate the evidence necessary fór the indictment, the facts were misquoted and the exact classification of the criminal act was nőt defined. The defence was prevented from carrying out its work, its proposals were rejected without justification and court procedures were continually infringed throughout the whole investigation, even during the trial itself - states the Vojvodina Supreme Court ruling which lists the mistakes in the lower court proceedings in six and a half pages. The UU year old Vicéi has gained time bút the danger has nőt pásséd. He is supported by continuous intemational protest bút the final outcome of his case will depend to a large degree on the development of internál political struggles in Yugoslavia. The date of the retrial has nőt been set yet. Subscribers can use or quote the Hungárián October newsletters in totál or in detail as long as the source is acknowledged.
