AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
PRESS RELEASE
EU must press Hungary on constitutional human rights threat
(Brussels, 11 March 2013) As the Hungarian parliament prepares to vote today on a constitutional amendment proposed by the governing majority, Amnesty International has expressed its concerns over proposals which it believes infringe Hungary’s international and EU human rights obligations.
“These measures seriously threaten human rights in Hungary,” said Nicolas Beger, Director of Amnesty International’s European Institutions Office. “The Hungarian ruling party wants to impose arbitrary restrictions on the right to freedom of expression, an unnecessarily restrictive definition of the family (on the basis of sexual orientation and the marital status of heterosexual couples), and to criminalise homeless people.”
Amnesty International is calling for:-
· The EU to state publicly its misgivings over these developments and engage with Hungary directly on these issues
· The EU’s existing monitoring mechanism to be upgraded to finally embrace core human rights and rule-of-law challenges posed by some continuing reforms in Hungary
For more information please contact:
Peter Clarke
Media & Communications Officer
European Institutions Office
Amnesty International
Tel: +32 (0) 2 548 2773
[email protected]