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Ukraine launches full investigation into the death of Hungarian man, Hungary bans Ukrainian officials
Ukraine has launched a full investigation into the death of József Sebestyén, who died on 6 July, 444 reports. The investigation is being coordinated by the Kyiv Presidential Office and involves several investigative bodies.
According to Sebestyén's family, the Hungarian man was beaten with iron sticks after he was mobilised from Berehovo in mid-June. A video footage from the training camp has emerged of him being tortured by men wearing military attire. Sebestyén left the training camp three days later under unclear circumstances, and a few days later went to the hospital in Berehovo, where he died of a pulmonary embolism on 6 July.
There are several unclear details about the case, and so far, no evidence has been found about whether Sebestyén was beaten, when it happened, who the perpetrators were, and whether it happened in training. It's also unknown what happened in the days before he was hospitalised and what caused his death. The Orban government earlier stated that the Hungarian man was beaten to death by Ukrainian forced labour, without having substantial evidence.
The Hungarian government has already initiated the European Union's immediate inclusion on a human rights sanctions list of "the Ukrainian leaders responsible for the death of Hungarian citizen József Sebestyén". On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó demanded that the EU hold three people accountable in the Ukrainian defence ministry and army. The government banned these three individuals from Hungary.
Poland has summoned its ambassador in Budapest
Poland has officially recalled its ambassador to Hungary, marking a clear shift in diplomatic relations between the two countries, Hungarian State Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Trade Levente Magyar wrote on Facebook. The move follows months of rising tensions after Hungary granted political asylum to Marcin Romanowski, a former Polish deputy minister facing serious criminal charges, 444 reports. At the time, Poland reacted by recalling its ambassador indefinitely, summoning the Hungarian ambassador in Warsaw, and formally objecting to what Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski described as an “unfriendly” act.
Magyar described the recalling of the ambassador as the result of a gradual deterioration in bilateral relations. "The gradual deterioration of political relations has led to this regrettable step, which is unprecedented in the history of relations with our Central European partners," he said. He emphasized that Hungary views the fallout as temporary and expressed hope for future cooperation, noting that he had communicated this message to Poland’s chargé d'affaires in Budapest. Romanowski, now living in Budapest, has been appointed head of the newly established Hungarian-Polish Freedom Institute.
Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu has returned to Earth
Less than a day after disconnecting from the International Space Station, the Crew Dragon capsule carrying Tibor Kapu reached the Earth's surface. The Hungarian astronaut is now back on Earth, and his historic space flight has come to an end.
On 15 July, Hungarian time, the Ax-4 mission crew landed off the coast of Southern California. The Crew Dragon spacecraft with Tibor on board had a smooth flight.
SpaceX quickly collected the capsule, and about an hour after returning home, Tibor Kapu was able to leave the spacecraft. The spaceflight phase of Ax-4 has now come to an end, but the analysis and evaluation of the data collected during the mission are just beginning.