Hungary’s PM Orbán Advocates Death Penalty
- 29 Apr 2015 9:00 AM
Capital punishment must again be put on the agenda in the wake of the Kaposvár tobacco store murder, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told reporters during a visit to Pécs on Tuesday. Stating that existing punishments such as mandatory life sentences have not proved to be a sufficient deterrent, he said “it must be made clear to criminals that Hungary will not shy away from anything when it comes to protecting our own citizens”.
The Constitutional Court abolished capital punishment in Hungary in 1990, and the death sentence is not accepted in the EU.
Fidesz caucus leader Antal Rogán echoed Orbán’s comments on state news channel M1 later on Tuesday, saying a debate on the death penalty would be legitimate.
Referring to the murder, he said if a young sales clerk is killed for Ft 22,000, then “one automatically says such a man deserves capital punishment”.
Prime Minister’s Office leader János Lázár told a local forum a few weeks ago that he favours capital punishment, but added that he was expressing his personal opinion only. Lázár said courts have no idea of present-day Hungarian reality.
The death penalty was last carried out in Hungary in 1988.
Source: Hungary Around the Clock
This news item is one of many published daily by HATC, a premier subscription news service which distributes English-language info about Hungary via email or fax. For a free trial of HATC visit www.hatc.hu and click on 'Free Trial Subscription’.
MTI photo: Sóki Tamás
LATEST NEWS IN current affairs