A Hungarian court has ordered a prison to pay HUF 8 million in compensation to a former inmate who was beaten by guards so severely that he required life-saving surgery to remove his spleen. The man was also left with permanent health damage and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The Budapest Court of Appeal has issued a final ruling awarding HUF 8 million in non-pecuniary damages to a former prisoner who was violently assaulted by guards at Tököl Prison in 2018.

The man, represented by the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, was left with permanent health problems after the assault, as well as PTSD requiring psychiatric and psychotherapy treatment. The prison must also send him a personal letter of apology for the abuse.

The beating left him with a life-threatening injury

The man had been working at the prison’s paper factory when he decided to rest in a quieter area of the workplace because he had struggled to sleep in his crowded cell. He fell asleep for longer than planned, and two prison guards eventually found him lying underneath a printing machine.

According to the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, the guards began punching him, including repeatedly hitting him in the abdomen and stomach area. The prisoner immediately complained of pain following the assault. Although he did not go to work the following day, he subsequently worked two more shifts.

On 10 September 2018, however, he collapsed during an inspection. Medical examinations revealed that his spleen had been critically damaged by the beating.

Doctors had to remove the organ in life-saving surgery two days later.

Both the man and the hospital subsequently filed complaints over the incident.

Prison initially claimed it could not find the CCTV footage

According to the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, the prison initially claimed that the crucial footage could not be found. The recordings were eventually recovered following pressure from a military prosecutor, allowing criminal proceedings to be brought against the two guards.

In 2020, both men were found guilty of causing life-threatening bodily harm and assault committed in an official capacity. They received suspended prison sentences.

The former inmate subsequently sought compensation for the physical and psychological damage he had suffered. Attempts to settle the matter out of court were unsuccessful, however, leaving him to pursue the case through the courts.

His health and ability to work were permanently affected

Medical experts determined that the man had suffered 13.5% permanent health impairment as a result of the assault. His injuries have significantly restricted the types of work he can undertake. Among other things, he can no longer work with a drill or on scaffolding.

The psychological consequences have also been severe. He developed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following the beating and requires psychiatric and psychotherapeutic treatment.

The court ultimately recognised both the physical and psychological harm caused by the assault when determining the compensation.

Court orders prison to apologise

The Budapest Court of Appeal has now issued a final ruling awarding the former prisoner HUF 8 million (EUR 22,000) in non-pecuniary damages. The court also ordered Tököl Prison to apologise to him in a personal letter. The man will have the right to make the apology public.

The Hungarian Helsinki Committee described the compensation as unusually high by Hungarian standards and welcomed the ruling.

The court stressed that prison staff should have been capable of dealing with the inmate’s conduct within the framework of the law, and that correctional institutions have a particular responsibility to ensure lawful treatment in order to maintain public trust.

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‘The money has a place’

The man, who now lives with his partner and their four children in Salgótarján, said the ruling finally gave him a sense of relief. After the assault, he had worried about how he would support his family if he could no longer take on physically demanding work.

He now hopes the compensation will help the family become financially more secure and eventually buy a home.

“I would like to buy a flat, because until now we have spent what I earned on rent.”

The Hungarian Helsinki Committee said it hoped the ruling would encourage the prison authorities to provide appropriate compensation for clear violations without forcing victims to endure years of litigation.

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