The Hungarian ministries reject the US State Department's call to intervene in the independent court's decision after a Syrian migrant was sentenced to imprisonment for terrorism.
A Syrian man Ahmed H. has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for his role in the migrant riot near Röszke, by the Hungarian-Serbian border in the Autumn of 2015. The Szeged court ruled that he was guilty of terrorist activities involving illegal border crossing, coercion and violence, committed as a participant in the riot.
"The United States is concerned by the prosecution and sentencing in Hungary of Ahmed Hamed, a Syrian native involved in clashes between police and asylum-seekers near the town of Röszke at the Hungary-Serbia border in September 2015, based on a broad interpretation of what constitutes 'terrorism'," the Deputy Spokesperson of the US State Department, Mark Toner emphasised in his statement on Tuesday. "We urge the government of Hungary to conduct a transparent investigation, with input from independent civil society groups, into the events at Röszke and to review the cases of Mr. Hamed and those similarly convicted. We will continue to follow the case of Mr. Hamed closely.", he continued.
"It's outrageous and unacceptable that the US State Department is interfering in Hungarian court procedures”, the Spokesperson of the Hungarian MFA, Tamás Menczer reacted in his statement on Wednesday. Mr Menczer called it "strange", that the State Department, who is always lecturing other countries on the separation of powers, is now calling the Hungarian government to interfere in the court's activities. "It might be possible in the USA, but not in Hungary. Here it's not the so-called civil society groups, but the court which decides about the fate of those who commit crime, and this will remain like this, regardless of whether the State Department likes it or not”, he added.
The Ministry of Justice also issued a statement, emphasising that they expect "our allied countries" to respect the independence of the court.
