French Court Sentences Hungarian Soccer Fan To Six Months In Prison
- 23 Jun 2016 9:00 AM
One of five Hungarians detained after a Euro 2016 soccer match involving the national eleven in Marseille last weekend has been sentenced to six months in prison on a charge of violence against an official, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said. Two of the fans were detained for the possession of pyrotechnics and banned devices and another two for rowdiness, Szijjártó told a press conference held on a different subject.
The fans were freed on Monday and have to pay fines ranging between 250 and 500 euros but they have not been expelled from France, he added.
The Hungarian consul immediately got in contact with the French authorities after hearing about the detentions in order to check that the Hungarians had access to lawyers and interpreters.
Szijjártó said the fifth Hungarian’s legal representative has requested that his client should be transferred to a prison in Hungary but since EU regulations only allow this if the remaining sentence is more than six months, this issue needs to be resolved.
He added that Hungary’s special consular service in Bordeaux, Marseille and Lyon will be extended until the end of the championship.
Republished with permission of Hungary Matters, MTI’s daily newsletter.
LATEST NEWS IN current affairs