A Hungarian prison has been ordered to apologise and pay compensation to a father who was not informed in time that his son had suffered life-threatening injuries in custody and was denied the chance to speak to him while he was still conscious. The Győr Court of Appeal issued the final ruling on 15 October, finding that the prison had violated the man’s right to private and family life.
His son was brutally beaten in his cell
József Ruckel’s son, René, was seriously injured at Szombathely Prison on 25 January 2023, following a fight with a cellmate. The young man emerged from his cell with a bloodied head before collapsing in the corridor. He suffered a spinal injury that left him paralysed from the neck down and was transferred to hospital, where he later died. One of his cellmates was convicted over the assault that led to his death.
René’s father was not notified directly by the prison. Instead, he learned that his son had been hospitalised through a friend of the young man. When he contacted the prison service, he was told that René had become dizzy, fallen and hit a door. The fight that had preceded his injuries was not disclosed.
Father’s request to visit delayed for three days
József immediately went to the hospital, hoping to see his son while he was still conscious. However, he was not allowed to visit him. According to the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, René even called out to his father, saying, “Dad, I’m here”, but the meeting was not permitted. The father spent several days making phone calls and attempting to secure an extraordinary hospital visit.
His request was only assessed three days later, as the application had been filed during working hours shortly before the weekend. By the time he was finally allowed to enter, René was in a deep medically induced coma and never regained consciousness. József was able to hold his son’s hand for an hour, but they could no longer speak to each other.
The father initially did not want to take legal action, saying he would have accepted an apology and an admission of wrongdoing. The prison commander expressed condolences but repeatedly refused to apologise or reach an out-of-court settlement, reports 444.hu.
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Appeal court finds prison responsible
The Szombathely Court of First Instance had rejected the father’s claim. However, the Győr Court of Appeal overturned that decision, establishing that René had already been in a life-threatening condition on the day he was admitted to hospital.
The appeal court noted that medical records showed René required circulatory support from 12.45 PM on 25 January. It ruled that prison authorities should have obtained adequate information about his condition and that a request for an urgent visit could not be delayed for days simply because of weekend working arrangements.
The prison has now been ordered to issue a formal apology and pay HUF 500,000 (approximately EUR 1,370) in compensation. József intends to donate the compensation to charity. The father said the ruling offered some satisfaction because he felt he had fought for justice. He added that its real value would depend on whether the prison learned from the case and prevented similar tragedies from happening again.
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