Council of Europe condemns Hungary for human rights abuses News
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Council of Europe condemns Hungary for human rights abuses

Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović released a report Tuesday detailing the abuses by the Hungarian government towards asylum-seekers following her visit in February.

The report finds that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has continued to promote xenophobic policies under the guise of addressing an immigration crisis. Refugees held at transit zones have been allegedly deprived food and face extremely higher rates of rejection of their asylum applications. According to a statement, the Commissioner believes that the Hungarian “government’s stance against immigration and asylum seekers has resulted in a legislative framework which undermines the reception of asylum seekers and the integration of recognized refugees.”

The report also addresses other areas of concern such as recent legislation targeting and criminalizing certain NGOs’ activities and its impact on civil society. There also have been reforms to the judiciary that have undermined the balance between the judiciary and self-governance. Finally, Mijatović believes that Hungary is “backsliding” on gender equality through legislation that reinforces gender stereotypes while calling for greater protections for violence against women.

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