Police officers abused a woman in a Budapest shopping mall – proceedings initiated on both sides
Criminal proceedings have been initiated against Budapest police officers who pinned a woman against glass in a shopping mall, handcuffed her with her arm twisted, and pushed her to the floor. Proceedings are also underway against the handcuffed woman and her mother.
Police abuse in a Budapest shopping mall: proceedings initiated against officers and victim alike
The Central Investigative Prosecutor's Office (KNyF) has initiated criminal proceedings for suspected abuse committed by public officials against Budapest police officers who pinned a woman against a glass wall in a shopping mall, twisted her arm whilst handcuffing her, and then pushed her to the floor. The KNyF confirmed the existence of the proceedings in response to Telex's enquiry.
The prosecutor's office response also revealed that parallel proceedings have been initiated against the handcuffed woman and her mother at the Metropolitan Investigative Prosecutor's Office – for assault against a public official.
"In the investigation so far, camera footage and documents have been obtained, and witnesses have been questioned, however no suspect interviews have taken place in either proceeding," the KNyF statement read.
RTL News reported on the incident, which occurred in early August, on Friday. According to their report, the incident began with a verbal altercation with an employee of a mobile phone shop, who subsequently called police to attend to the two women. The mother began filming events when police handcuffed her daughter – according to her account, the woman was then pushed to the floor, dragged and pulled about whilst being spoken to in a degrading manner. The mother was later taken into custody as well.
According to the lawyer representing the two women, the police officers used excessive force and acted irregularly. Their position is that twisting the arm would only have been justified if the woman had shown resistance or attempted an assault – this did not occur, and therefore according to their view the measure exceeded the boundary of justified use of physical force.
Source: Telex