In February 2021, the Police Headquarters printed and distributed 22,000 copies of a booklet entitled "Let's act together against hate crime". The resource was developed in 2020 and provides useful information and advice for the victims of hate crime.
Notable cases:
Case 1: In 2021, the Prosecution Office for Budapest Districts VI and VII filed charges against a man who, on the evening of 28 July 2021, subjected a same-sex couple walking arm-in-arm in the street to homophobic insults and a physical assault. In judgment no. 410.Bpk.40.319 /2022/7, the competent court found the accused guilty of violence against a member of the community by assault under Section 216 (2) of the Criminal Code, and violence against a member of the community under§ 216 (1) of the Criminal Code. The perpetrator was sentenced to a prison term of one year and eight months, having been suspended for a probationary period of two years and appointed a probation officer.
Case 2: Furthermore, the Dunakeszi District Prosecution Office opened an investigation into case No. B. 822/2021 for the criminal offence of assault under Section 216 (2) of the Criminal Code and violence against a member of the community. On 13 July 2021, the suspect subjected his Iranian neighbour to anti-Arab, racist and xenophobic insults owing to the victim's foreign nationality. When the victim defended himself, the attacker responded by spitting on the victim, grabbing his clothes, choking him, and punching him in the face. The victim sustained neck injuries.
This category includes racist hate crimes and hate crimes committed against an ethnic group.
This category only consists of hate crimes committed with a bias based on sexual orientation. No hate crimes committed with a bias based on gender identity were recorded.
This category consists of hate crimes committed against other groups not included under other categories.
ODIHR notes particular improvements in Hungary's hate crime recording at the police level. However, based on the available information, it observes that Hungary's hate crime recording and statistics do not sufficiently distinguish hate crimes from other crimes. In addition, ODIHR observes that Hungary would benefit from reviewing the existing legal framework in order to ensure that bias motivations can be effectively acknowledged and that appropriate penalties can be imposed on the perpetrators.
ODIHR recalls that in Ministerial Council Decision 9/09, OSCE participating States agreed to a common definition of hate crime and committed to collecting reliable data and statistics on such crimes. To that end, hate crimes need to be distinguished from hate speech and so-called extremist crimes throughout the recording and data collection processes. Participating States also committed to enacting specific, tailored legislation to combat hate crimes, providing for effective penalties that take into account the gravity of such crimes. ODIHR stands ready to support Hungary in meeting the relevant commitments through its comprehensive resources and tailored assistance in the area of hate crime recording an data collection, as well as by providing further resources and tailored legislative advice.