Ukraine Accused of Covering Up Abuse of Ethnic Minority
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File photo of Hungarian soldiers
Ukrainian authorities are under growing scrutiny following the death of József Sebestyén, a 45-year-old ethnic Hungarian man from Transcarpathia, who was allegedly beaten during forced conscription, and later died of his injuries, writes magyarnemzet.
According to his family and Hungarian media reports, Sebestyén was abducted and violently conscripted by Ukrainian military recruiters in June. In a statement written before his death, he described being taken to a forest where he was beaten and threatened.
They beat me mostly on the head and body. I was thrown into the mud to sleep. The next morning, they told me to go home,” he wrote. Days later, he was hospitalized and eventually died. His family claims photo and video evidence confirms the abuse.
Despite these accounts, Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigations announced it will not launch a criminal probe, citing insufficient evidence. Ukrainian officials have denied all allegations and criticized what they call Hungarian media disinformation.
Ukraine: La conscription forcée d’un citoyen pour défendre sa patrie contre la Russie. pic.twitter.com/qruRy48SeS
— Restitutor Orientis (@restitutorII) July 18, 2025
A video circulated online appears to show Sebestyén being verbally and physically abused by uniformed men. The case has sparked outrage in Hungary and among human rights advocates, who accuse Kyiv of covering up systemic abuses in the military draft.
Photo: Pixabay
A Council of Europe report released in July, confirmed widespread violations by Ukrainian recruitment officers, including arbitrary arrests, violence, and forced conscription of vulnerable individuals. Ukraine’s own human rights ombudsman has also acknowledged cases of abuse.
Sebestyén’s death has become a flashpoint in Hungarian-Ukrainian relations amid broader concerns about minority rights and military practices during wartime mobilization.
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Via magyarnemzet; Featured image: Photo: Honvedelem.hu
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