2008–2009 neo-Nazi murders of Roma in Hungary
2008–2009 neo-Nazi murders of Roma in Hungary | |
|---|---|
| Conviction | Murder x6 |
| Criminal penalty | Life imprisonment (Árpád Kiss, István Kiss, Zsolt Pető) 13 years imprisonment (István Csontos) |
| Details | |
| Victims | 6 |
Span of crimes | 2008–2009 |
| Country | Hungary |
| States | Hajdú-Bihar, Pest, Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg, Heves, Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén |
Date apprehended | August 21, 2009 |
The 2008–2009 neo-Nazi murders of Roma in Hungary were a series of murders perpetrated by four Neo-Nazis (Árpád Zoltán Kiss, István Sándor Kiss, Zsolt István Pető and accomplice István Csaba Csontos) against people of Roma ethnicity, occurring between July 2008 and August 2009.
The perpetrators had previously obtained firearms and Molotov cocktails after robbing a house in Besenyszög, using them in numerous attacks in 10 locations, killing six people in the process. The subsequent investigation revealed that the gang were skinheads from Debrecen, and their motive was retaliation for crimes committed by Roma and a desire to incite anti-Roma sentiment among the ethnic Hungarian population.
All four were arrested on August 21, 2009, at a nightclub in Debrecen, where two of them worked as bouncers. The criminal proceedings began on March 25, 2011, and lasted until August 6, 2013. Árpád Kiss, István Kiss and Zsolt Pető were sentenced to life imprisonment, while István Csontos was a given a 13-year sentence without a chance of parole, with an expected release date of August 2022.