Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Government rejects doubts over Hungary's democratic nature

Government rejects doubts over Hungary's democratic nature

The Hungarian government is always prepared to engage in dialogue on specific issues and laws but it firmly rejects remarks that call into question Hungary's democratic nature, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday.
Hungary does not feel a need for any external authority or any other country to certify its democratic nature, the foreign ministry cited Szijjarto as saying at the council’s session held as part of Hungary’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR).

The Hungarian people had to fight for their freedom throughout the country’s entire history, Szijjarto said, adding that this guaranteed that the people would never tolerate a government violating their fundamental rights.

The minister said Hungary in recent years had faced “politically-motivated” criticisms of the state of the rule of law in the country because it had a right-wing Christian Democratic government that pursues “patriotic policies” that are in its national interest and was committed to its national identity and heritage, adding that this went against the international liberal mainstream.

Szijjarto said the European Union was drifting increasingly farther away from the fundamental values that had made it strong, but Hungary remained committed to those values.

Addressing the questions he had received regarding Hungary’s family and migration policies and media freedom, Szijjarto said the government last year had spent 6.2 percent of GDP on family support measures, three times the OECD average.

As regards Hungary’s contested child protection law, the minister said it was about giving parents the exclusive right to decide on the sex education of their children. He said it was untrue that the law was against the LGBT community, arguing that it did not apply to adults.

Szijjarto called migration one of the biggest challenges and a dangerous phenomenon which posed security, cultural and now with the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic even health risks.

Addressing criticisms of the state of media freedom in Hungary, he said that media freedom to the mainstream meant that “95 percent of the media is liberal”. The Hungarian government, on the other hand, believes it means that all media outlets and journalists can freely express their opinions irrespective of their political and ideological views. Szijjarto said the reason behind the criticism levelled at Hungary was that the country had recently seen a rise in conservative media outlets. If those criticising Hungary understood Hungarian, they would see that Hungary’s leading media outlets in every market segment are critical of the government, he said.

The UPR has been carried out every five years since 2008 after the restructuring of the Human Rights Council.

The first review of Hungary was conducted in May, in 2011, followed by an interim review in 2014.

Hungary’s last review by the Human Rights Council was in 2016.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Druzhba Pipeline Incident Sparks Geopolitical Tensions
Cost of Opposition Leader Péter Magyar's Economic Plan Revealed
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Budapest Central European Fashion Week Kicks Off
U.S. Celebrates Labor Day
Hungarian National Team Captain Scores Epic Goal
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Japanese Customer Sways from VW to BYD after “Unbelievable” Test Drive amid Dealership Expansion
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
White House Eyes Budapest for Peace Talks
Cave Diving Beneath the Streets of Budapest
Another American Restaurant Chain Opens in Budapest
Hungarian Opposition Politician Supports Ukrainian Commander
Opposition Leader Threatens Media Outlets
American Airlines Adds New Flights to Budapest
F1 Hungarian Grand Prix Wraps Up
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
U.S. Trade Representative says Washington still negotiating trade deals after court rules tariffs illegal
Von der Leyen says Europe drawing up 'precise' plans to send troops to Ukraine
Kremlin accuses Europe of hindering Trump’s peace efforts in Ukraine
×