Four jailed for neo-Nazi killing spree at Roma

A Hungarian court jailed four neo-Nazis on Tuesday for killing Roma families in a spree of racist violence in 2008 and 2009 that shocked the country and led to accusations that police had failed to protect an historically persecuted minority.

The gang killed six Roma and wounded several others in carefully planned attacks across the country over 13 months, creating a climate of fear for members of Hungary's largest ethnic minority. Roma, who make up about 7 percent of the population of 10 million, face widespread discrimination and often live in dire poverty.

Three men were jailed for life without parole and a fourth for 13 years, also without parole. The ruling can be appealed.

In one of the attacks, several men set fire to a house at the edge of the dusty village of Tatarszentgyorgy, near a forest 30 minutes from Budapest, late at night on Feb 22, 2009.

When the inhabitants fled the burning building, the attackers shot dead Robert Csorba, a 29-year-old Roma man, and his 4-year-old son Robert Jr. A girl was also seriously wounded. The assailants fled.

Robert's mother Erzsebet Csorba told Reuters on the eve of the verdict that she looked forward to the closing of a chapter but had no faith it would deliver full justice, bring safety or ease tension between Roma and other Hungarians.