30.08.2013 Aftermath of the Rroma murders in Hungary

Verseck (2013) discusses the political aftermath of the Rroma murders in the context of the trials in Hungary. He notes that with the demands of civil rights activists and lawyers, for the first time, there are good prospects for effective compensation of the members of the families of the murdered Rroma. The Hungarian Minister of Human Resources, Zoltan Balog, announced to want to compensate relatives, as the Hungarian State carries a responsibility for the crimes committed. Balog, alluding to the still controversial circumstances, indicates that the Hungarian secret service monitored several of the perpetrators until shortly before the deeds, but for unknown reasons then stopped their investigation. Also, it took a disproportionately long time until the Hungarian authorities recognised the murders as being racist acts and ordered an overall investigation. Rroma activists like Aladar Horvath welcome the efforts of the Hungarian government to finally work out the events of the years 2008 and 2009. After the events, no public official ever took position on the victims.