Did the Hungarian police beat a man to death for possessing a small quantity of cannabis?

A man has died in hospital following an alleged beating by Hungarian police in Szeged. The case is raising serious concerns about the use of force during a drug-related arrest and prompting an ongoing investigation by prosecutors.

Man beaten to death

As Szeged365 reports, a man from Kunszentmárton died in the hospital nearly a month after an altercation with Hungarian police in Szeged on 26 March 2025. According to numerous reports, the man was allegedly found with a small quantity of cannabis and synthetic drugs. His family claims he was severely beaten by several officers, resulting in serious spinal and neck injuries, which may have been worsened when he was moved before medical help arrived. Video footage from the scene shows him unconscious and later placed behind a police van. He later died on 21 April in the University of Szeged Hospital.

Concerns about police brutality

The Hungarian police stated that the man actively resisted arrest and that the use of force was necessary. As 444 writes, authorities claim he was caught in the act of committing a crime and was found with packages of synthetic drugs. The official statement from the Hungarian police notes that the man complained of feeling unwell shortly after his arrest, prompting them to call an ambulance and place him in a stable position.

While the police have refrained from sharing further details, citing the ongoing investigation by the Central Investigating Prosecutor’s Office, the family has filed a formal complaint. Their legal representative, Dr. Dániel Frech, has stated that the case raises serious questions about the conduct of the Hungarian police.

Here’s a video from Tények‘s report showing what happened:

The Hungarian police’s official statement

The Hungarian police shared the following official statement:

On the afternoon of 26 March 2025, the patrols of the Public Area Support Subdivision of the Csongrád-Csanád County Police Headquarters and the investigators of the Szeged Police Station took a man from Kunszentmárton under suspicion of committing a crime. Since the man actively resisted the action, the police used physical coercion, handcuffed his hands and then continued to search his clothing in a lying position, during which they found several packages of synthetic drugs on him.

Minutes later, the man complained of feeling unwell, at which point the police immediately informed the ambulance service, removed the handcuffs from his hands and placed him in a stable position. The man died on 21 April 2025 at the University of Szeged, Szentes.

A command investigation carried out in accordance with the rules of service concluded that the measure, the use of coercive means and physical force were necessary, lawful, professional, effective and proportionate.

The Central Investigating Prosecutor’s Office is conducting an investigation into the case, and until the investigation is completed, the police cannot provide any further information.

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