30. November 2016
Szeged
Protest in front of the court house where Ahmed H.’s last court hearing takes places

03. Dezember 2016
Budapest
Transnational Demonstration against the Show Trial of Ahmed H.

In September 2015 the Hungarian authorities violently closed the border to Serbia and made it, from one day to the other, illegal to cross.
While the government was transporting people to Austria by busses the day before, on September 16th the police was using tear gas and water cannons against people who wanted to do travel on. From the protest that erupted in response to the border closure the government arrested 11 people completely randomly – the Röszke 11. Among those people were also very vulnerable ones that could not leave quick enough.

During show-trials at beginning of July 2016, 10 of the accused were found guilty for “illegal border crossing” and “participation in a mass riot” by the court in Szeged, Hungary. Two of them are still imprisoned in Hungary, two have decided to “voluntarily” return and six have reached other European countries.

One, Ahmed H., however, is accused of “terrorism” and is still on trial.

The accusations are absurd, the court procedures are humiliating, the hearings are uncritical and highly state-biased.

His last court hearing where his sentence will be proclaimed is on November 30th. He might face a life-long prison sentence!

“Terrorism“ has become a tool to legitimize everything the state is doing, it is used to silence every opposition – against border regime, capitalism or the control over our lives.

The Röszke trial is revealing the reality of a system in which state and police violence is never put in question. This goes hand in hand with increasing fascism, creating fear and thus establishing a framework of racism and repression.

Nonetheless this setting expands well beyond Hungary: Hungary cannot be seen as the most “evil“ EU-state, but only as a part of the European fences-and-prisons-system that criminalises free movement of people just as it criminalises solidarity.

So far the Röszke-Trials and especially Ahmed‘s case have not raised much attention in Europe even though solidarity movements have tried to spread the word. So now, let‘s unite our voices against racism and repression! Join the Demos in Szeged and Budapest to show solidarity!

We demand the immediate release of the still imprisoned Kamel J., Yamen A. And Ahmed H. Lets show strengths against the racist politics of Fortress Europe!

Freedom for Ahmed. H., Kamel J. And Yamen A.! Freedom of Movement for All!

More info on the transnational campaign: http://freetheroszke11.weebly.com/