Petőcz Kálmán (szerk.): National Populism and Slovak - Hungarian Relations in Slovakia 2006-2009 (Somorja, 2009)

Annex

MARIE VRABCOVÁ:

TIhe Case oí HEdviqA MaIínová (MaIína HEdviq) - CLiRONoloqy, ImpLícatíons anc] Lessons

In August 2006, a female ethnic Hungarian student was attacked and battered in Nitra. Three years later, the identity of assailants and their motives remain unclear. The victim has been scandalized as a liar and was charged on grounds of having given false evidence. As investigation of the case dragged on, it turned out that the police made one mistake after another while political leaders repeatedly obscured the facts of the case. Since perpetrators have never been brought to justice, the case continues to whip up strong feelings and has become a perfect vehicle to inflame mutual Slovak-Hungarian disputes. Many facts suggest that this indeed may have been the true motive of those who conceived and staged the entire case.

TIhe assauIt

On August 25, 2006, at around 7:30 a.m. two young men dressed in black with shaved heads attacked Hedviga Malinová, a young woman of Hómé Mýto (Felsővámos), in a park nearby the Hungarian Department of the University of Constantine the Philosopher in Nitra.1 Malinová was on her way to take a degree examination from the Hungarian language. According to her testimony, she remembered only that she was just speaking Hungarian, either via a cellular phone or giving directions to tourists, when two men yelled at her: “Speak Slovak in Slovakia”. After she did not react, they repeated the call after which they pulled her head back by the hair and ordered her to hand over her earrings and take off her stockings and jacket. Then the attackers demanded that she handed over her wallet that contained identity papers and began to thrash and kick her, eventually knoc-299