Hungary

Hungarian Scouts claim they did not discriminate against Romani applicants

16.7.2018 13:52 Are disadvantaged Hungarian Roma youth who want to become Scouts now the latest victims of the transformation underway in the Hungarian social climate? A case from Borsod County has captured the attention of international media asking whether the organization, which traditionally espouses Christian values and is open to all, has turned its back on Romani applicants.  full story

Hungarian Parliament approves law sanctioning NGOs, amends Constitution to prevent "foreign settlement"

24.6.2018 13:45 The Hungarian Parliament has approved a package of anti-immigration laws introducing, among other things, punishments for supporting illegal migration, Reuters
reported on 21 June. The new legislation, called the "Stop Soros" package, has been criticized by the Council of Europe for facilitating the prosecution of NGOs aiding migrants who have no right to asylum in the country.  full story

Hungary: Traffickers in human beings sentenced to 25 years for 71 deaths, prosecutor wants life sentences

18.6.2018 8:53 A court in Kecskemét, Hungary has sentenced the four main defendants in the trial of the death by suffocation of 71 migrants in a refrigerator truck three years ago to 25 years in prison. The prosecution sought life sentences for them.

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Hungary: József "Choli" Daróczi, translator of the New Testament into Romanes, has passed away

17.5.2018 17:25 At the age of 79 the eminent Romani author, poet, journalist and teacher József Daróczi, known to his loved ones by the familiar Romani nickname "Choli", passed away in Hungary on 12 May 2018. Mr Daróczi, an all-around gifted artist and charismatic educator, was one of the most eminent Romani figures in Hungarian public life for decades.  full story

Canada grants asylum to former MEP who faced death threats in Hungary due to her Romani origin

16.5.2018 17:53 Viktória Mohácsi, a Romani activist and former MEP from Hungary, has finally been awarded political asylum in Canada. She requested asylum in 2012 after seeking police protection over death threats she received upon returning to Hungary when her EP mandate was over.
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Hungary: Open Society Foundation closing in Budapest due to Government persecution

15.5.2018 13:34 The Open Society Foundation, established by the American financier of Hungarian origin George Soros, will be relocating to Berlin from Budapest due to the repressive pressure of the Government of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. OSF announced the move on its website and assured the public that it will continue to support civic groups in Hungary working in the areas of culture, education, freedom of the press, health care and transparency.  full story

BBC Three Documentary Exposes Human Rights Abuses In Hungary’s State-Care Homes

21.4.2018 10:40 In a new special on BBC Three, Stacey Dooley investigates the Roma situation in Hungary, exposing the abuse committed by state-run care homes into which Romani children are being placed. The state repeatedly removes Romani children from their homes because their families are too poor to care for them.

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Hungarian pro-Government weekly publishes blacklist naming alleged "non-conformists"

13.4.2018 13:47 Yesterday Hungary's pro-Government Figyelö weekly published the names of 200 people whose views do not conform to those of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, alleging that they belong to a group the PM has labeled as "mercenaries" working for the American financier of Hungarian origin George Soros, according to the Associated Press. The blacklist includes primarily members of groups defending human rights, anti-corruption organizations, defenders of refugees, investigative journalists, and also officials of the Central European University (CEU), headquartered in Budapest, which was established by Soros.  full story

Hungary: Romani duo from Slovakia win the "X Factor" music competition

1.12.2017 6:57 The Romani singing duo Claudia and Ricco, who are originally from Slovakia, have won the "X Factor" music competition in Hungary. The magnificent finale to the famous television show was broadcast Saturday.  full story

Lívia Járóka becomes first ever Romani Vice-President of the European Parliament

16.11.2017 10:53 Lívia Járóka (Fidesz, EPP) of Hungary has been elected Vice-President of the European Parliament (EP) and has become the historically first MEP of Romani origin to achieve such an important post. "If I have the honor of being elected, my mission and role as the first Vice President of Romani origin will be not just to aid the 10 million-strong Romani community who have been victims of discrimination and segregation for many years, but also the 120 million people living in economic and social exclusion," news server INFO.cz quoted her as saying in a letter to her colleagues.

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Christian Democrat chair says Czech Republic should have taken in 10 refugees more to avoid European Commission censure

28.6.2017 11:53 According to the chair of the Czech Christian Democrats (KDU-ČSL) the Czech Republic should have received 10 more refugees in order to avoid arguing with the European
Commission. Pavel Bělobrádek made his remarks to journalists after the party's statewide conference last week.  full story

Hungary: Protests criticize Government, including over Roma integration

26.5.2017 7:52 Thousands of people have once again turned out on the streets of Budapest and other towns throughout Hungary to protest the Government of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his FIDESZ party. The demonstrations on Sunday, 21 May were organized by the civic initiative "Nem maradunk csendben!" (We Will Not Be Silent!).  full story

Convicted German neo-Nazi who is a former Red Army Faction terrorist arrested in Hungary after seeking asylum

18.5.2017 16:04 The infamous German neo-Nazi Horst Mahler, convicted in his home country of Holocaust denial, has fled to Hungary, where he has applied for asylum. The German
newspaper Mitteldeutsche Zeitung reported the news on 16 May, publishing a letter from him.  full story

videoVIDEO: Romani singer Joci Pápai makes it to the Eurovision final

15.5.2017 7:19 Joci Pápai, the 35-year-old Romani singer representing Hungary, made it to the final round of the international Eurovision Song Contest, which was held this year in Kiev, Ukraine. The singer performed the song "Origo", which combines hip hop and traditional Romani music, during the second semifinal on 11 May.  full story

European Commission disturbed by Hungary's CEU moves, could sue for violating EU law and values

14.4.2017 8:54

On 12 April the European Commission (EC) expressed concern over recent steps taken by the Hungarian Government, especially its controversial law on higher education. EC Vice-President Frans Timmermans threatened Budapest with the possible launching of yet another infringement proceedings over the issue.

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Central and East European NGOs critique EU Member States barring asylum-seekers

31.1.2017 9:49 Some EU Member States in Central and Eastern Europe are making it difficult for persons fleeing war to seek asylum on their territories. They have complicated the asylum-seekers' access to protection by increasing border checks, erecting physical barriers on their borders and undertaking various police procedures to deter them.  full story

Hungary: Camerawoman gets three-year probation for kicking at migrants

17.1.2017 9:56 A court in the town of Szeged has placed Petra László, the Hungarian camerawoman for the N1TV station who kicked migrants at the Hungarian-Serbian border in September 2015, on probation for three years. The public defender is appealing and asking that his client be released.  full story

Hungarian PM attacks nonprofits supported by Soros, wants to close them

13.1.2017 9:24 The BBC and the Bloomberg wire service reported yesterday that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is said to be intent on taking aggressive action against NGOs financed by billionaire George Soros. The Hungarian PM has previously been criticized by the EU and the USA for his attacks on such organizations.  full story

Leading Romani activist Ágnes Daróczi to appear in Prague Monday

26.11.2016 7:54 As part of a festival called "RomAcademy: Days of Living Romanes", which is dedicated to making the Romanes language visible in the public space, the eminent Hungarian Romani activist Ágnes Daróczi will appear in Prague. This important promoter of the European Romani movement will participate in a panel debate on "Romanes as a creative language", which will take place on 28 November at 15:30 in the small hall of the Minor Theater in Prague.  full story

Hungary: 1 000 fans of Roma Pride march through Budapest, honor Romani revolutionaries

20.10.2016 19:40 The Roma Pride event took place yesterday for the fourth time in the Hungarian capital with an assembly and subsequent march attended by roughly 1 000 people. News server Origo.hu quoted educator Mónika Rózsa, a member of the Roma Club Foundation, which organizes the event, as saying Roma Pride Day is a public event where members of the Romani community espouse their identity and embrace each other.  full story