In the Case of Zsanette E., Let's Not Forget Zsanette E.

The ongoing scandals surrounding Hungary's police, which began with last fall's riots and then mushroomed a week ago with a lurid report of a rape by five officers of a young woman in Budapest, are now officially absurd, or at least semi-officially. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, László Kövér, a key leader of opposition party Fidesz, said that Hungary risked becoming a policing "Absurdistan" as a result of certain changes in public safety policy currently being enacted.

Kövér was specifically referring to an unusual - to say the least - program by which a private security company had been hired to protect upwards of 50 police facilities in Budapest, including 22 district police stations. He also charged that the mass shakeup in top-level personnel responsible for the police was a politically-inspired "purge" rather than a genuine effort to improve the reliability and image of the country's police. The changes began in earnest on Sunday, when Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány sacked the head of the national police and the chiefs of the Budapest police and the "elite" security service division (REBISZ) whose officers were implicated in the rape, and accepted the resignation of Justice Minister József Petrétei. On Thursday Gyurcsány named Hungary's deputy ombudsman, Albert Takács, as Petréti's replacement, saying that he expected the nation's new top law enforcement official to "make it clear" that policemen should only come in contact with crime as "chasers, not as perpetrators."

Following the most recent scandals - in addition to the alleged rape, three officers were detained over the weekend on suspicion of kidnapping a cigarette smuggler who cheated them - the public confidence in the police has collapsed. According to a poll released yesterday, two-thirds have a "poor" opinion of the force, apparently a record low. This despite the fact that the reported number of crimes against persons has dropped significantly in Budapest over the past few years, and the introduction of a new "hotline" through which people can report cases of alleged police misconduct. Meanwhile, members of the opposition have denounced Takács's appointment, saying that in his position of deputy ombudsman he had covered up allegations of police abuse during the public disturbances of this spring and last autumn.

So what began last Friday as the story of one woman and five policemen has grown into something much larger. And while the Hungarian media is focusing on the rotation of top-level law enforcement personnel and other "macro" aspects of the policing scandal, a dribble of smaller stories about the alleged rape suggest that justice is not being served.

Yesterday, tabloid Blikk reported that the 21-year-old woman, identified only as Zsanett E. (pictured above, with her face obscured) had stolen "nearly a half-million forints" last year from a discount jewelry store where she worked. The store's owner told the paper that she had admitted taking the money and promised to pay it back, which is why he never went to police. But as she still hasn't returned the money, he is now considering taking legal steps. Meanwhile, hvg.hu quoted the lawyer of one of the suspects as saying that some of Zsanett's statements are "uncertain" and "unrealistic" compared to the statements of the five officers, which correspond to one another. The five officers - Gergely B. (24), Tibor I. (34), Zsolt F. (24), Gábor R. (33) and Péter T. (33) deny that the rape took place, and their family members have been widely quoted in the press saying that it was unthinkable that the men could have committed such a brutal act.

The stories casting doubt on Zsanett's claim follow earlier media reports that she had waited several days before reporting the incident. According to estihirlap.hu, her lawyer, Péter Tuza, yesterday said she had gone to the police within one hour, a claim later confirmed by Attila Morvai, a spokesman for the Budapest Prosecutor's Office. (She first went to a district police station, where she declined to give her name, fearing retribution, and later brought the case to the Public Prosecutor's Office.) At the time of their being taken into custody on May 17, the five officers and their supporters drew repeated attention to the gap between the alleged rape, which took place on May 4, and the formal filing of an incident report. Tuza said that this was a typical way of denying rape crimes. "The defense is always that the victim is lying [...], and they try to discredit her." Meanwhile, Index.hu, following a story lead again by Blikk, is reporting today that the National Security Office - the agency involved in espionage and counter-terrorism - is "on some level involved in the case," and "wants the victim to remain silent."

Whether Zsanett remains silent or not, the train has left the station. The results of DNA tests relating to the case are expected to be known within days, while Tuza says that there are several pieces of evidence in his client's case that "will surprise many people." Unfortunately, it would not be surprising if the case, like so many in Hungary involving a betrayal of public trust, becomes bogged down in months or years of shadowy legal maneuverings, and ends in a messy fudge. (This is not to say that the officers are guilty; they also deserve a presumption of legal innocence.)

While the cold water of Zsanett E.'s story has already led to a healthy re-think of Hungary's approach to policing, it would be tragic if her case devolved into a partisan cause célèbre, with parties on all sides seeking to use the case for political or fund-raising advantage. Instead, the authorities should just focus on determining what exactly happened early on the morning of May 4, and apply the existing law. There are larger issues involved, but the first and most important one is Zsanett E.