Death of József Sebestyén
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Pulmonary embolism (Claimed by the Ukrainian General Staff)
Heart failure caused by a Blood clot (Claimed by Zoltán Razsó)[3]
József Sebestyén | |
|---|---|
| Born | 10 November 1979 |
| Died | 6 July 2025 (aged 45) |
| Cause of death | Beating (Denied by Ukraine)[2] Pulmonary embolism (Claimed by the Ukrainian General Staff) Heart failure caused by a Blood clot (Claimed by Zoltán Razsó)[3] |
| Resting place | Berehove Cemetery[4] |
| Other names | Jozsef Sebestyen Joseph Shebesten |
| Citizenship | Hungarian and Ukrainian[5] |
| Known for | Allegedly being beaten to death by Ukrainian recruitment officers |
| Children | One son[6] |
József Sebestyén (10 November 1979 – 6 July 2025)[a] was a Ukrainian, ethnic Hungarian man from Transcarpathia who was conscripted into the Ukrainian Army during the Russo-Ukrainian war and later died of his injures after he was allegedly beaten with iron bars by Ukrainian officers.[8][9]
His death was politicized, straining relations between Hungary and Ukraine, and leading to condemnation by several Hungarian officials, who themselves were accused of using the death for propaganda by Ukraine and Deutsche Welle.[10]
According to his siblings, József was conscripted into the Ukrainian Army on 14 June 2025.[11] According to an eyewitness, József was in front of a café called Parisel when conscription officers repeatedly punched him before dragging him into a vehicle and transporting him to a recruitment center in Uzhhorod, Ukraine.[4] A video later emerged, claiming to depict abuse of József.[12][13] On 6 July, József died of his wounds in a hospital in Berehove.[14][15]
Autopsy
According to a statement from the General Staff of the Ukrainian Army, the autopsy of József Sebestyén's body showed that he had died from a pulmonary embolism.[16] They also claimed that the autopsy "found no signs of physical injury indicating violence."[17] According to an investigation by Hungarian newspaper Index, the forensic expert who performed the autopsy, Josip Akar, was being blackmailed by the SBU after he intervened in order to prevent his son from being conscripted.[18][6] Index also reported that Akar had falsified the autopsy report in exchange for his son's release.[19] Zoltán Razsó, a nurse in the Ukrainian Army, claimed that he was working in ward four when József Sebestyén died in ward two. When Razsó asked his colleagues what had happened, he claimed that they told him that Sebestyén had died in the bathroom after his heart had stopped beating due to a blood clot.[3]