Hungary: Harsher sentencing imposed for racially-motivated crimes

Hungary is now punishing crimes motivated by the ethnicity or race of the victims more strictly. The Hungarian Parliament has passed an amendment to the penal code in an accelerated procedure that has introduced the concept of “uniformed criminality” as a label for the activities of various illegal vigilante “guard” movements.

The amendment is the government’s response to the actions taken by various “guard” movements in villages in northeastern Hungary where many Roma people live. Many Roma people are leaving the area because of the threat posed to them by the “guards”.

The accelerated procedure to make the law more strict was agreed to by 90 % of all the legislators. The only ones opposed to the amendment were from the extreme-right Jobbik party.

The government submission refers to a two-year prison sentence for crimes that incite fear and disturb public order. According to many critics, however, the government’s bill is too late, because various “guard” movements wearing camouflage uniforms started marching in villages with the aim of terrorizing Roma residents two months ago.