Police Lieutenant Colonel Zsolt Szabó, head of the Hódmezővásárhely Police Department took his own life last week. The news was first announced by the local mayor, Péter Márki-Zay, but was later essentially confirmed by the police. Márki-Zay added that a few days prior to the tragic incident, a local news portal, Promenád24 had published a defamatory article about the police chief, written by an anonymous author.
He also pointed out that the article came just days after a peaceful demonstration was held (without the police doing anything to prevent it) on the road leading to the nearby Batida hunting lodge which is co-owned by János Lázár, Minister of Construction and Transport. The minister is a local and he previously served as the mayor of Hódmezővásárhely for ten years. Since his advancement into national politics, locals have criticized him as “arrogant, corrupt, and working against the town’s development” – among others, on account of his disagreements with the current, opposition mayor.
Although he is not connected to the outlet directly, in Hódmezővásárhely, Promenád24.hu is seen by many as Lázár's propaganda outlet, given that it has even thrown punches at other Fidesz politicians and ministers in the past – if it served Lázár's interests. The company that publishes the paper is owned by a family member of the minister’s former high school classmate, who has served in positions of leadership in various state institutions overseen by Lázár’s ministry for several years now.
According to the mayor, Szabó had offered his resignation (which was not accepted) to his superiors in the wake of the publication of the article, which claimed that violence had become rampant in the town, blamed the police chief for the protest near the hunting lodge and also included defamatory claims about his personal life.
The article sparked wide outrage in Hódmezővásárhely, with even some of the local members of the ruling Fidesz party expressing their disapproval. The town clerk issued an official statement asking that the private lives of public officials not be used as political weapons.
János Lázár reacted by saying that “The news of Zsolt Szabó's death has shaken me and upset me”, adding that Péter Márki-Zay is a scoundrel who has been stirring up a lynch mob over the police chief’s death. Answering a question from the press later on, the minister called it insanity that he would have blamed Szabó for permitting the demonstration near the Batida hunting lodge to happen. When asked if he had ordered the article and if he felt responsible for the tragedy, he responded that the question itself was malicious. "I cannot feel responsible for a tragedy involving a victim I did not know," he stated.
The local chapter of Fidesz issued a statement on Facebook, saying, among other things: “May he rest in peace! Anyone who is using the current situation for mud-slinging and political smear campaigns should be deeply ashamed of themselves.”
Shortly after news of the tragedy became known, the article was removed from the website of Promenád24, as they said, “for reasons of common decency and respect”.
The National Police Headquarters issued a video message on the case on Tuesday, in which their spokesperson, Kristóf Gál spoke about the efficiency of the Hódmezővásárhely police under the leadership of Zsolt Szabó. He pointed out that Hódmezővásárhely had ranked among the top three county-level towns in terms of detecting crime three times in the past five years. It came second twice and third once. Compared to last year, the number of crimes committed in public has decreased by 33 percent, while the detection rate has increased to 87 percent. The spokesperson stressed that while one may criticize the work of the police, they reject unfounded accusations, insinuations, and prying into their colleagues' private lives.
The Chief Investigative Prosecutor's Office (KNyF) has not initiated proceedings in the case of Zsolt Szabó's death.
Over the last few days, several public figures have spoken up against hate-inciting propaganda messages, including at a major protest on Sunday which had been announced weeks ago. Its organizers demanded that the government stop spending taxpayers’ money on campaigns which incite hatred, mislead voters and divide society.
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