Civil groups raise Hungary human rights concerns ahead of AI Geneva meeting

Hungary is expected to report at AI s universal periodic review session (UPR) in Geneva next Wednesday on its progress in keeping to its international commitments, Orsolya Jeney, head of AI Hungary, said at an event in Budapest.

    AI indentified tension between the Roma and non-Roma population in Gyongyospata and Hajduhadhaza, the new constitution and the new media law as areas of concern.

    A representative of the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (TASZ) said that Hungary s new "single-party" constitution would involve a "serious reduction in the level of institutional protection for fundamental rights". 

    TASZ also sees curbing the powers of the Constitutional Court and changing the structure of the ombudsman s insititution as further problems. According to TASZ, the list of fundamental rights in the new supreme law was not modelled on the European charter. The organisation also warned that treating all media providers indiscriminately under the media law would have "a very bad impact on the freedom of the media". 

    At the meeting, the representative of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee said that lowering the retirement age for judges from 70 to 62 years was "a serious attack against the independence of judges. 

    A member of NEKI, a group fighting for ethnic and national minority rights, said that discrimination against the Roma community was obvious in their restricted access to employment, health services or housing. The government should fight anti-Roma prejudice and combat hate speech not only through means of legislation; the government must distance itself from municipal representatives or mayors making discriminative or derogatory remarks, he said.

    Agnes Hevesi, an official of the Foreign Ministry representing the government, said that a 20-member delegation would represent Hungary at the Geneva hearing, headed by State Secretary Zoltan Balog. 

    Hevesi said the government considered the critical comments of the NGOs to be a part of the government s dialogue with civil groups, which is a natural process in all member states.