You will be considered a victim of crime if you are wronged by an act that is a crime under Hungarian law, for example if you suffer an injury or your property is damaged or stolen. As the victim of a crime, you have various rights under Hungarian law, before, during and after court proceedings (the trial). You can request information on your rights and obligations in criminal proceedings from the investigating authority, the public prosecutor or the court, depending on the stage of proceedings.
Hungary criminal proceedings begin with an investigation. The investigation is usually performed by the police, under the supervision of the public prosecutor. Once the investigation is completed, either the public prosecutor will decide to bring charges and the case will go to court, or the case will be closed at the investigation stage, due to insufficient evidence or because criminal liability is precluded or no longer applies.
If the case reaches court, the court will examine the evidence gathered and decide whether the accused is guilty or not. In Hungarian criminal proceedings (except for some forms of proceedings) the court can also take evidence directly in a public hearing, so you may be summoned to the court hearing and examined as a witness. If found guilty, the accused will be convicted and sentenced. If found not guilty, the accused will be acquitted.
Click on the links below to find the information that you need:
1 My rights as a victim of crime
2 Reporting a crime and my rights during the investigation or trial