John Hron
Encyclopedia
John Hron was a Swedish
boy of Czech origin who was tortured and murdered by four young men on 17 August 1995. The month before his death, John had won a bronze medal in the national canoe
ing youth championships.
. Four young men, aged 15, 17, 18 and 18, appeared. The men all had ties to the neonazi subculture and the youngest of them identified John, whom he had bullied for some time at school. That evening, John was told to say that he loves Nazis. He refused and was beaten until he did what he was told. The beating nevertheless continued and John was eventually thrown into the water. Soon after, they ordered John to swim back, which he refused. They then threatened to beat up John's friend instead, which made John return.
The torture continued and two of the attackers continued kicking him in the head for several minutes. After he became unconscious, they threw John's fractured body in the water. He sunk to the bottom and drowned. His friend, Christian, managed to escape and alert the authorities after hitch-hiking to a nearby village.
The case received a lot of attention in Sweden. In 1996, Hron was posthumously awarded the Stig Dagerman award for free speech. Hron's grave has been desecrated several times.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
boy of Czech origin who was tortured and murdered by four young men on 17 August 1995. The month before his death, John had won a bronze medal in the national canoe
Canoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
ing youth championships.
Murder
John was camping with a friend by the small lake Ingetorpssjön near the town Kode in Kungälv MunicipalityKungälv Municipality
Kungälv Municipality is a municipality in Västra Götaland County in western Sweden. Its seat is located in the city of Kungälv....
. Four young men, aged 15, 17, 18 and 18, appeared. The men all had ties to the neonazi subculture and the youngest of them identified John, whom he had bullied for some time at school. That evening, John was told to say that he loves Nazis. He refused and was beaten until he did what he was told. The beating nevertheless continued and John was eventually thrown into the water. Soon after, they ordered John to swim back, which he refused. They then threatened to beat up John's friend instead, which made John return.
The torture continued and two of the attackers continued kicking him in the head for several minutes. After he became unconscious, they threw John's fractured body in the water. He sunk to the bottom and drowned. His friend, Christian, managed to escape and alert the authorities after hitch-hiking to a nearby village.
Aftermath
In the court, the 18-year-old boy who was the main person behind the abuse was sentenced to eight years in prison for murder. He was released on 1 January 2001. A 15-year-old boy was sentenced to five years closed institutional youth care. The two others were sentenced to ten and four months in prison, respectively.The case received a lot of attention in Sweden. In 1996, Hron was posthumously awarded the Stig Dagerman award for free speech. Hron's grave has been desecrated several times.
External links
- Nizkor.org memorial
- regeringen.se Speech by Prime Minister Göran PerssonGöran PerssonHans Göran Persson was the Prime Minister of Sweden from 1996 to 2006 and the leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party from 1996 to 2007. Conceding defeat in the September 2006 general election, he announced that he would resign as party leader, and Mona Sahlin was elected to succeed him as...
at the Memorial Service for the Victims of the Holocaust, Stockholm SynagogueStockholm SynagogueThe Great Synagogue of Stockholm , is located on the small street Wahrendorffsgatan close to the park Kungsträdgården on Norrmalm, Stockholm, and was built 1867-1870 according to designs made in 1862 by the architect Fredrik Wilhelm Scholander. The building has been called a "paraphrase over...
, 27 January 2004 Nizkor.org Trial Nizkor.org Appeal