Budaházy placed in home detention

Budapest (MTI) – György Budaházy, who last year was sentenced to 13 years in prison for carrying out terrorist activity almost a decade ago, has been moved out of his prison cell and placed in home detention, news portals Magyar Nemzet Online and Origo reported on Monday.

MTI queried István Szikinger, Budaházy’s attorney, who said he had learned of his client’s release from the media.

Szikinger suggested that Budahazy’s transfer to his home may have been carried out based on a ruling by the Kúria, Hungary’s supreme court. He noted that last August, after announcing its verdict, the Municipal Court of Budapest had ordered that Budahazy be placed in home detention. The prosecutor appealed that order, but Budaházy was allowed to stay in his home until the end of October, Szikinger noted.

Budaházy was only transferred to a prison in Budapest’s 10th district after an appeals court approved the prosecution’s appeal, he said. Szikinger said he then filed a second motion to have Budaházy’s sentence commuted to home detention, suggesting that this may now have been approved by the Kúria. He added, however, that he had not been officially notified of any such ruling.

The Kúria told MTI it would comment on the developments on Tuesday.

Budaházy was charged with having set up a terrorist organisation called the Hungarian Arrows to carry out attacks against lawmakers of the then ruling Socialist-Free Democrat alliance between 2007 and 2009.

He and his accomplices were also sentenced for throwing petrol bombs at the homes of Socialist and Free Democrat politicians and their parties’ headquarters as well as throwing petrol bombs at gay bars and outlets, such as a ticket office in Budapest’s 13th district.

Source: MTI