U.S. report finds serious human rights problems in Hungary

Every year since 1976, the United States publishes a report on the human rights status of United Nations member states.

The report analysing the conditions in Hungary in 2022 was published on 20 March, the Hungarian news portal Telex writes.

In a document published by U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, there is hardly a human rights issue that has not been identified as a serious problem.

As the summary of the document states at the beginning, since 2020, the Hungarian government has been able to pass laws by edict due to “consecutive states of emergency”. This means that for the third year in a row, they have been allowed to bypass parliament during legislative procedures. However, this is just one of the many concerns.

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Further problems

Among the human rights concerns, the report also found that measures to interfere with or undermine the independence of the judicial system were justified. The report also noted that freedom of expression and freedom of the press were severely restricted in the country.

In addition, the rights of NGOs were also found to be limited. By this, they mean political intimidation and legal restrictions on these organisations. In addition, the report pointed out that NGOs’ activities related to migration are subject to financial and criminal sanctions. On the issue of migration, the authors of the report were also convinced of the high risk of asylum seekers being sent back to their countries.

The use of state power to secure the privileges of certain economic actors in the country is also described as a major problem.

Roma, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex individuals are also mentioned. According to the report, these groups are at risk in Hungary due to violent threats and harassment by extremists who target them.

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The report found that while the Hungarian government had taken some measures to investigate, identify, prosecute and punish human rights abuses, the fight against high-level corruption with political connections had remained only partial.

Telex stresses that these annual reports are the result of thousands of hours of work. The reports include credible information from US embassies and consulates, foreign government officials, NGOs and international organisations, lawyers and legal experts, journalists, academics, human rights activists, labour rights activists and various published reports.

Hungarian Foreign Minister: “How dare they?”

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó reacted to the report in a video posted on his Facebook page. He said that, as every year, he was shocked by the content of the report. He can’t comprehend how the United States has the courage to judge other countries and to make such “ex-cathedra” statements on their own internal issues.

As he explained, he could not think of a single example of other countries’ foreign ministries writing a report on the human rights or other issues of certain countries. According to Szijjártó, it is outrageous and shocking that “bureaucrats in Washington get together and make such statements about our countries on the basis of all kinds of one-sided information, which in many cases is financed by the United States. Well, give me a break! How dare they do this?”

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Source: telex.hu