1988. február (17-31. szám) / HU_BFL_XIV_47_2

authorities that he withdrew his indicting testimony against Vicéi as it vas extorted from him.

In his defense speech Srdn Popovió, the well-known Belgrade lavyer, expressed his sorrov that contrary to his expectations the Public Prosecntors Department did nőt drop the charges. He called the methods used during the investigation "frightful": nothing like this - he said - had occurred during his 25 year career as a lavyer, the examining magistrate and the court themselves broke the lav. Popovié pointed out that this case had damaged Yugoslavia’s international standing and that Vicéi*s sentence might have serious political consequences, Finally the Serb lavyer announcéd he vas pleased that he could defend Vicéi, a mán knovn to be clever, calm and patient, and thus he had indirectly defended members of his ovn nationality from similar trial.

The court*s sentence vas finally based in the main on Zsuzsa Hegedűs’s confession and the texts taken at the police station ané copied intő police reports before the examining magistrate. The court found Vicéi innocent of the most serious charges - demanding the formation of an autonomous Craatian state and. is annexing Vojvodina to Hungary - bút accepted that the accused had talked of discrimination against the Hungárián minority and disapproved of Hungárián girls marrying Serbian boys. So Károly Vicéi - appealable fór the present - vas sentenced to tvo and a half years imprisonment. Srdn Popovié the defense lavyer and the máj őrity of the press reporters vere nőt present at the beginning of the sentence announcement as the court had continued the trial before 7 pm contrary to its announcement. It is possible to appeal to the Supreme Court against te sentence vhich has nőt been drafted in vriting yet.

That night Növi Sad rádió reported on the court*s decision and the Belgrade paper Politics, the Növi Sad Dnevnik t Magyar Szó reported it in the Sat- urday moming editions.

The day before the sentence vas read out thirty Sviss citizens - five academics among them - sent a telegramme to Óedomir Babié, the president of the Subotica High Court, requesting a fair trial. A committee in Károly Vicéi’s defense is now being formed in Svitzerland.

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