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Gergely Homonnay (24 August 1969 – 1 January 2022[1]) was a Hungarian writer, journalist, teacher, author, human rights, political and LGBTQ-activist[2][3]
Life and career
editBorn in Gyula, Hungary, he studied English and German at the Faculty of Arts in the University of Szeged,[4] then studied law in Pécs and the Faculty of Law at the Eötvös Loránd University. He worked as a translator for a photo agency, then as a journalist and blogger for years. He took a strong and unvarnished stance on political and social issues, and his three books written to show the world and politics through the eyes of his cat, Erzsi - published between 2016 and 2018 - made him and his sharp opinion widely known among Hungarian readers. Gergely Homonnay often raised his voice for socially deprived groups and animal welfare, and - according to his and Erzsi cat's social media pages - ran numerous fundraising campaigns to support domestic and international NGOs as well as individuals in need.[5] He turned up in public life as one of the organisers and speakers of the anti-government demonstration "Mi vagyunk a tobbseg! (We are the Majority!)" after the Hungarian elections in 2018,[6] and has attracted many of both followers and political enemies since. He was condemned for libel, after calling president candidate Katalin Novák "dirty nazi scum".[7][8]
Death
editAt the time of his death he had already left Hungary, and been living in Rome for more than a year. According to Italian articles published the following days, he was found dead in a gay bar[9][10] in Rome on New Year's Day in 2022. All that is known with certainty about the circumstances of his death so far that it is currently under investigation as a crime case.[11]
References
edit- ^ "Holtan találták Rómában Homonnay Gergely írót". index.hu. 2 January 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
- ^ "The mysterious death of Gergely Homonnay, the lifeless body of the Hungarian writer found in a club in Rome". italy24news.com. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
- ^ office, Kafkadesk Budapest (3 January 2022). "Hungarian writer and gay rights activist found dead in Rome". Kafkadesk - Ultra-local news from Central Europe. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
- ^ "u-szeged.hu/sztemagazin/aktualis-szam/2017-hu-szte-szem - Pdf dokumentumok". pdfs.hu.
- ^ "Emberségből jeles: Hatalmas segítséget kap a kilakoltatásra ítélt anyuka és rákos kisfia". 17 September 2018.
- ^ "Mi vagyunk a többség – újabb kormányellenes tüntetés Budapesten". 22 April 2018.
- ^ "Bíróság ítélte el a Novák Katalint sértegető Homonnay Gergelyt | Mandiner". mandiner.hu (in Hungarian). 2 December 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
- ^ István, Bereznay (2 December 2021). "Novák Katalint aljas, náci féregnek nevezték, becsületsértési pert nyert". index.hu. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
- ^ Géza, Molnár (6 January 2022). "Opposition activist found dead, Omicron gains ground, Viktor Orban to meet Vladimir Putin and a plea for money". InsightHungary. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
- ^ "Gergely Homonnay, lo scrittore morto in un club di incontri gay a Roma: trovato così nel bagno turco, nell'armadietto..." liberoquotidiano.it. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
- ^ Ármin, Ferenci (11 January 2022). "A római ügyészség megerősítette a Telexnek: büntetőeljárásban vizsgálják az olasz hatóságok Homonnay Gergely halálát". Telex. Retrieved 11 January 2022.