(MENAFN) Hungary has urged the European Union to impose sanctions on Ukrainian officials in connection with the death of Jozsef Sebestyen, a dual national of both countries, who allegedly died after being assaulted by Ukrainian military recruiters.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced the move in a statement shared on social media Tuesday. “The Hungarian government has initiated in Brussels the immediate inclusion of Ukrainian leaders responsible for the death of Hungarian citizen Jozsef Sebestyen in the EU’s sanctions list for human rights,” he wrote.

Hungarian media reported that Sebestyen, 45, a resident of Ukraine’s Zakarpatye region—which has a sizable Hungarian minority—died on July 6. The reports allege that he sustained fatal injuries after being beaten with iron bars by draft officers. The incident has ignited public anger in Hungary, prompting demonstrations outside the Ukrainian Embassy in Budapest and leading the government to summon Ukraine’s ambassador for an official protest.

Ukrainian authorities have denied the accusations. According to the Ukrainian Ground Forces, Sebestyen had been “legally mobilized” but later deserted and admitted himself to a hospital, where he reportedly died of a “pulmonary embolism” with no evidence of physical assault.

Prime Minister Orban has rejected this version of events and demanded a full and transparent investigation. In an interview published Monday, he argued that the incident reveals why Ukraine is not ready for EU membership. “It is unacceptable for people even in a country at war to be beaten to death because they do not want to or can’t fight,” he said, adding that Sebestyen, as a European Union citizen, was entitled to protection from the bloc.

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