Actually, Bremer announced that there
could be elections in 2004. That's not definite - just a maybe - and its too long away.
In Kosovo (pop. 1.5 million ), the UN managed to get elections held for the region in less than 5 months after the main conflict (and a mere three months after they took over). This election took place while there was still a severe security threat in the region.
Surely the US/UK can do better than the lazy, slow working machinations of a UN appointed administration? I mean, both countries are more efficient, right? So why havn't the US/UK managed a local election in places of relative calm (with smaller populations), like Basra or Umm Qasr?
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You're also citing 1999 police data -- which from your very post is listed as "26 officers under investigation."
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Oh - that was only for ease. The thing is, it really is *not* difficult to keep posting articles on current Hungarian police abuses: there are soo many of them. So, how about something more current and more detailed?
"Roma in Hungary Denied Justice
On February 18, 2002, the Roma Press Center (RSK) reported that four police officers had been found guilty by the Pest County Court of forced interrogation and causing light bodily harm out of a malicious motive to a Romani man, but had been sentenced inadequately. In October 1999, while attempting to force Mr László Vidák, a Romani man, to admit to a theft, RSK reports, one of the officers wound the strap of his handcuffs around Mr Vidák’s throat, tied him to a chair and placed a plastic bag over Mr Vidák’s head. The officers then beat Mr Vidák with a truncheon on his head, back and legs. The police officers had previously been found guilty by the Buda Regional Court in April of 2001 and given two-year suspended sentences. In its recent ruling, the Pest County Court reduced these sentences to one-year prison terms, suspended for three years.
In other news, on January 3, 2002, RSK also reported that all charges against thirteen police officers accused of brutally attacking a group of mourning Roma in Bag, Pest County, had been dismissed. On February 9, 2001, at approximately 2:00 PM, about eighty police officers raided a family funeral vigil. Allegedly, Ms Edit Lakatos, a young Romani woman, was dragged by her hair to a police car, officers also placed a bag over the head of Mr Sándor Lakatos and then beat him with truncheons and kicked him. In addition it was reported that 40,000 Hungarian forints (approximately 150 euros), which had been saved to pay for the funeral, was taken from Mr Lakatos while he was being kicked by officers. During the attack, officers reportedly forced a sixteen-year-old boy to crush a glass with his hands, badly gashing them on the broken glass, and witnesses also stated that officers had beaten a 7-year-old boy about the head with a truncheon (for more details on the case, see:
http://errc.org/rr_nr1_2001/snap21.shtml). According to RSK, in justifying dismissing the charges, the Pest County Prosecutor’s Investigative Office cited a lack of evidence. (Roma Press Center)"
http://www.errc.org/rr_nr1_2002/snap9.shtml
And of course, Hungary is notable enough to get Amnesty International's attention in its 2003 report:
http://www.web.amnesty.org/web/web.n...LE/hungary.pdf
[ 08-26-2003, 10:41 AM: Message edited by: Skunk ]