UN rights office: Hungary anti-immigration proposal an ‘assault on human rights’ News
UN rights office: Hungary anti-immigration proposal an ‘assault on human rights’

A spokesperson for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on Friday called [press release] on Hungary to review an anti-immigration proposal that would tax and penalize organizations that assist migrants in the country, calling it an “assault on human rights.”

The legislative package requires organizations supporting migration to apply for a license to operate from the Ministry of the Interior and be cleared by the national security services, a process that could span nine months. The organizations must also provide information about their funding, and requires that organizations receiving foreign funding pay a 25 percent tax on such funds.

“The package also sets out ‘immigration restraining orders’ under which people considered to ‘support the unlawful entry and residence of a third-country national in Hungary’ may be banned from going within 8km of border areas.”

The spokesperson said:

The proposed legislation represents an unjustified restriction on the right to freedom of association and is a worrying continuation of the Government’s assault on human rights and civic space. The ability of civil society organizations to access funding and other resources from domestic, foreign and international sources is an integral part of the right to freedom of association.

The UN notes that Hungary is a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and, as such, is due to be reviewed by the UN Human Rights Committee.