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.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Justice Department brings anit-trust action against AT&T

On November 20, 1974, the Department of Justice filed its final anti-trust suit against AT&T. United States v. AT&T was ultimately settled out of court with an agreement that the corporation would break up its monopoly on phone service throughout the country.

Nuremberg war crimes trials began

On November 20, 1945, the war crimes trials of Nazi World War II leaders began in the German city of Nuremberg. Review the Nuremberg Tribunal's Charter and the verdicts and sentences handed down on major war figures.

Winston Churchill born

On November 20, 1874, Sir Winston Churchill was born in Woodstock, England. He would go on to lead the United Kingdom as Prime Minister through World War II. Toward the end of the war, Churchill worked with US President Franklin D. Roosevelt to craft the treaties and accords that have defined the world since WWII. A 2002 poll by the BBC declared Churchill the Greatest Briton of all time.

New Jersey ratifies Bill of Rights

New Jersey ratified the Bill of Rights, a set of 10 fundamental amendments to the US Constitution, on November 20, 1789, becoming the first state to do so. The state also ratified an amendment on federal representation which ultimately failed. Additionally, New Jersey rejected an amendment on congressional salaries, which would eventually become the 27th Amendment more than 200 years later. Read the articles ratified by New Jersey.