Hungarian opposition activist dies in Rome – drug overdose or murder?
The Hungarian activist feared for his life. He talked about his fears to a friend shortly before he died on New Year’s Day. Rumours also called him out as the Devil’s Advocate.
Writer and activist Gergely Homonnay was found dead in Bananon, in a private club in Rome. After toasting to the New Year, he allegedly went down to the Turkish bath where only members can enter. He was found by the owner of the club who said that he could not breathe in the location. At noon, the owners of the club called an ambulance, but Homonnay could not be saved. He died at 13:17, according to the rumours circulating in the press. Some sources say that the ambulance arrived after an hour. Official sources stated that Homonnay died from cardiac and circulatory arrest. The Italian police did not find any signs of murder, but they found white powder at the scene. The body of the activist was taken to the Tor Vergata policlinics for further investigation.
The activist was afraid that something horrible might happen to him.
A friend visited him in December, and she posted about Homonnay’s fears on Facebook after she found out about the tragedy. “When I was at Gergő’s, almost every day he talked about how much he feared coming to Hungary.” She continues by writing that the activist told her that he received threats, someone was watching and following him, and they knew where he sat on a plane and waited for him at the airport when he went home. He received a friend’s book in person because he was afraid of giving out his address for the book to be sent by post.
The friend also writes that one night, she and Homonnay were talking about a serious question. Will Hungary ever get to the point that people will be killed for political purposes?
The late activist actively expressed his views and engaged in various politics-related activities. In 2017, Homonnay supported Gergely Karácsony. In 2018, he participated in the peace procession of Kétfarkú Kutya Párt (Two-Tailed Dog Party). He also spoke in the campaign movie of DK, saying that “there is no negotiation with Orbán”. In 2020, he collected signatures to abolish firework displays on August 20, the Hungarian national holiday. He was active on his Facebook page and his cat’s Facebook page as well.
He wrote from the perspective of Erzsi, his cat. He also wrote a book from the cat’s perspective. He criticised politicians and stood by the homosexual community in their fight to be accepted. In 2021, he was convicted for slander against Katalin Novák. He was put on probation for one year and had to pay the litigation costs. On 30 December, Facebook blocked him.
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The late activist’s sister has doubts whether the Italian police takes the right approach to their investigation. “My daughter was contacted by the Italian police, I was not even contacted. I live in Germany, I can’t even fathom what happened. I do not consider the measures to be correct, as we were not asked about anything!” Katalin Homonnay told Blikk. The activist was a cancer survivor, got the vaccine against the coronavirus, and took good care of his health. His friends find it impossible that Homonnay would have used drugs.
His lawyer went to Rome. As far as he knows, Italian authorities are seriously investigating the circumstance of Homonnay’s death. They searched his house, looked into his messages, and are thoroughly investigating the case.
Fidelity House also reported about the tragic event. In the article, they refer to Homonnay as one of the “fiercest opponents of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán”. They also wrote that Homonnay was seen with another man a “little more than an hour before his death.”
The Prosecutor’s Office has opened an investigation into the death of the writer. The activist’s legendary cat, Erzsi, will be in good care. The Hungarian lawyer will take the famous companion to a person whom Homonnay himself would have chosen.
While Homonnay’s death seems like a murder mystery, it is important to emphasise the information written at the beginning of the article. The activist was undoubtedly an important figure of Hungarian public life, but the police found no evidence of murder. The circumstances of his passing are being investigated, as are the substances found by the police. It is important to wait for the results of the investigation, and the rumour of murder should be taken with a grain of salt.
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Source: Telex, Blikk, 24.hu, Fidelity House