Hungarian journalist hospitalised after street attack in Budapest

A senior editor at 24.hu, one of Hungary’s biggest news sites, has described being punched and kicked in a sudden street attack in Budapest, suffering multiple facial fractures. In his account, Pető Péter said the assault happened in daylight as he waited at the Dózsa György út stop of trolleybus line 75, with the injuries later confirmed by hospital records.

What happened at the 75 trolleybus stop

According to Pető’s own description published by 24.hu, he was standing alone at the stop on Monday evening shortly after 7pm, holding a book and a phone, when shouting interrupted the calm of waiting. He looked up and then saw “a fist” coming towards him, followed by a single punch that broke “several bones” in his face, knocking him to the ground.

He wrote that, once on the ground, the attacker kicked him “with full force” (he was unsure at the time whether the blows landed to his abdomen or back). Pető said he shouted for someone to call the police and possibly an ambulance, while his vision was impaired as swelling rapidly distorted the left side of his face.

Pető added that in the first moments “no one” approached to stop the attacker, something he later understood as fear and paralysis. He said the man stopped as abruptly as he had begun, returned to his belongings nearby, and remained in the area for a time.

Injuries: multiple facial fractures, no surgery required

Pető reported that the wall of his left eye socket was broken and that his zygomatic arch (cheekbone) was fractured, alongside abrasions and skin injuries. His discharge papers described the diagnosis as “multiple fractures of the skull and facial bones”, he said.

The injuries were classed as taking more than eight days to heal, but surgery was not required.

Pető said he spent around 12 hours at the trauma unit of Honvédkórház (the Military Hospital in Budapest) before receiving the relevant paperwork, undergoing imaging tests while doctors assessed the extent of the damage.

Bystanders called help; suspect reportedly arrested

Pető noted that the first four people who stopped to help him were women.

Passers-by called both ambulance services and the police, and that officers took statements first at the scene and later at the hospital.

The suspected perpetrator was detained shortly after the attack, and proceedings were launched on suspicion of grievous bodily harm. Pető was later informed that the man was also suspected of earlier crimes and that his criminal responsibility was being examined.

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Background for foreign readers

As the Pető Péter attack investigation continues, the case has already drawn attention because it involved a prominent journalist and happened at an ordinary public transport stop, in a situation Pető described as “perfectly defenceless” against sudden violence.

The independent news portal 24.hu is not currently part of Fidesz’s media holdings, and as one of the most widely read news sites, it has frequently criticized the Orbán government. Last year, Pető was voted the 34th most influential person by the jury of the Marketing&Média trade magazine.

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The State of Press Freedom in Hungary

According to a report published two days ago by Reporters Without Borders, the state of press freedom in Hungary has continued to deteriorate over the past year, and the country has fallen from 68th to 74th place in their world ranking. This means that among European Union countries, only Greece (89) and Cyprus (80) fare worse.

As we wrote earlier, BBC relaunches Hungarian-language news after nearly 20 years

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