Hungary: Syrian convicted of 'terrorism' for throwing stones to be given retrial

Ahmed H was given a ten-year jail sentence in November

‘Throwing a few stones cannot seriously be equated to an act of terrorism’ - Todor Gardos

Following a decision by a Hungarian appeal court today to order a retrial in the case of Ahmed H, a Syrian man sentenced to ten years in prison in November for committing an “act of terror” during clashes with border guards at the Serbia-Hungary border in September 2015, Todor Gardos, Amnesty International’s Hungary researcher, said:

 

“This is an important step on the path to justice for a man whose absurd conviction was based on the blatant misuse of terrorism provisions. 

“Today’s decision is a clear indication that evidence against Ahmed H was not adequately examined by the first instance court and suggests that he may have been wrongfully convicted.

“Throwing a few stones cannot seriously be equated to an act of terrorism and the retrial will provide an opportunity to ensure counter-terrorism laws stop being misused in such a way. 

“There is no reason for Ahmed H to remain in pre-trial detention. He should be released and tried fairly without delay.”

A petition against Ahmed’s imprisonment has already gathered more than 40,000 signatures. A video on his case is available here.