Amerikai Magyar Hírlap, 2013 (25. évfolyam, 1-50. szám)

2013-06-28 / 26. szám

American mammmm Hungarian Journal w Hungary Rejects Criticism of Constitutional Changes Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party and its government rejected fresh claims from the United Nations and a European Parliament committee that the country’s latest constitutional changes threaten democracy, saying the criticism is mistaken, unfounded and politically biased. UN Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay urged Hungary to revoke the government’s constitutional changes. She said that “the Fourth Amendment as a whole represents further retrograde steps in terms of human rights protection. This is an issue of serious concern, not least because Hungary was previously known for a highly advanced system of human rights protection.” Hungary’s foreign ministry responded by saying the Commissioner had overstepped her authority. It claimed in a statement that the Commissioner-who welcomed the opinion on the changes from a panel of constitutional experts, known as the Venice Commission-was citing findings from a draft and not the final report. This “puts into doubt the validity of the Commissioner’s conclusions regarding the state of human rights and democracy in Hungary,” the ministry said. The Venice Commission, which is the European Union’s democracy watchdog and advises the Council of Europe, reckoned the constitutional changes could hamper the independence of judges by removing case law from the Constitutional Court’s remit. Ms. Pillay also echoed the Commission’s concern over the governing party’s wide use of so-called cardinal laws that require a two-third parliamentary majority to be changed. “My office’s own comprehensive legal analysis on legislative developments in Hungary since 2010 has identified this as a major problem because it ensures future, less broad majorities in Parliament will not be able to change the social, fiscal, family and other policies of the current majority,” Ms. Pillay said. The governing Fidesz party, which faces parliamentary elections in less than a year, enjoys a strong parliamen­tary majority. The European Parliament’s Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, or LIBE, committee adopted a resolution criticising Hungary’s constitutional changes, which also include measures that make homelessness a crime, limit political advertising during election periods and define the notion of family as a married man and woman and their children. Fidesz members of the European Parliament said the LIBE committee findings were unacceptable and “nothing else but the political dictate of the European political left.” LIBE said that if Hungary fails to uphold European Union values it will ask the European Parliament to decide if it complies with the EU’s rules on human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights-including the rights of minorities. Its report called on Hungarian authorities to remove provisions that have already been declared unconsti­tutional by the Hungarian Constitutional Court, reduce the recurrent use of cardinal laws, leave policy areas such as family, social, fiscal and budget matters under ordinary and not constitutional legislation, implement the recommendations of the Venice Commission, ensure the widest possible participation of all parties in the constitutional process and fully guarantee the independence of the judiciary. On media laws, MEPs asked the Hungarian authorities to “ensure timely and close involvement of all relevant stakeholders, including media professionals, opposition parties and civil society, in any further review of this legislation.” They also called on Hungary to do more to integrate Roma communities and adopt a broader definition of “family.” The expected approval of the LIBE resolution by a plenary of the European Parliament in July won’t have any legal, fiscal and economic consequences for Hungary, Fidesz’s EP faction said in a statement, wsj.com From EU lawmaker to Canada asylum seeker Less than four years ago, Vik­toria Mohácsi enjoyed the life of an international politician, eating at pricey restaurants in Brussels and winning awards as a human rights activist. Today, the 38-year old mother of three sleeps on the floor of a one-room basement apartment in Toronto and faces deportation. As a political asylum seeker, she hopes to convince Canada that the life of a former member of the European Parliament could be in danger in a democratic country like Hungary. She will tell her story at a hearing before the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. In a test case for the Canadian government’s new immigration policy that considers nearly all EU countries “safe”, Mohácsi, a Roma, claims she would be in danger of violence from hate groups and persecution by authorities if she went home to Hungary. If she loses, she will be deported home. If she wins, her case could give hope to other Central and East European asylum seekers from the Roma community who at present are considered by some in Canada to be economic migrants or worse - criminals trying to abuse a generous immigration system. A key element in Mohácsi’s argument that she would be in danger from authorities if she returns is her knowledge of a government report on the Bureau of National Security’s handling of the anti-Roma attacks in 2008- 2009. The government of Hungary rejected the suggestion that any of its citizens, including Mohácsi, would be in danger in Hungary. “Whilst there is work to be done in combating prejudice against minorities, the safety of a par­ticular community in general is not in question,” a government spokesman said. “If Ms. Mohácsi has evidence of criminal conspir­acy by any individuals serving in Hungary’s security forces to vio­late her constitutional rights, the Government urges her to submit it to the prosecution services,” the government spokesman added. réuters.com Las Vegas-i ingatlanok! Házak $30,000-tól Apartment $20,000401 Most érdemes befektetni! Évente több, mint 30% nyereség is elérhető! AUCTIONS. BANK REPO. FLIPS INVESTMENTS. REO. RENTALS Peter Banyai hard money LOANS-HITEL 35% DOWN, AVAILABLE! 702-354-0332 Hivjon bizalommal! Box702@yahoo.com * CERTIFIED FORECLOSURE AGENT Június 28, 2013 ÍD AMERIKAI Magyar Hírlap Hungary moves to restrict freedom of information As flood waters that swirled from the Danube this week begin to recede, a tide of controversial reforms passed by the Hungarian gov­ernment continues to rise. Heads of several public institutions have been replaced, the con­stitution has been radically overhauled, and many laws have been passed or amended in recent years under the Fidesz party led by Viktor Orbán, the prime minister. Now Hungary’s law governing access to information appears to be the next target. The government approved changes to the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act that will limit access to certain significant forms of public data. The changes follow allegations that licenses for tobacco retailers were awarded to loyalists of the ruling Fidesz party, a claim several NGOs and journalists were trying to verify through FOI requests. As of July 1, tobacco retailing will be under a state monopoly and shop owners have had to apply for concessions to sell tobacco prod­ucts. However, opposition parties claim the licenses were distributed based on political loyalties. In May, news portal HVG.hu reported that it obtained a recording of the Fidesz mayor of the city of Szekszárd saying the tobacco permits should be awarded to right-wingers and not socialists. NGOs and journalists fear the new FOI rules will quickly move past relatively simple issues like accountability for tobacco per­mits, and begin to undermine government accountability in a much broader realm. Prime Minister Orbán has previously been accused of using his party’s two-thirds majority to implement sweeping reforms, most controversially through constitutional amendments that may be ruled undemocratic by the European Commission. Hungary is a member of the European Union. Official spokesperson Ferenc Kumin said the government “received the mandate from the Hungarian citizens to make these changes” which were necessary to eliminate “remains of the communist legacy,” response to questions. The landslide victory was won after the previous socialist govern­ment was marred by allegations of corruption and a political scandal. Without a scandal to rally the conservative base, the party has resorted to populist policies, including cutting utility costs, and sparring with various European Union leaders. Fidesz denies the FOI amendment is related to the tobacco issue and says the changes are meant to stop public agencies from being over­loaded with requests. Mr. Kumin said that the aim of the amendment is “to increase the efficiency of providing data.” This case shows the government’s willingness to “give way to a very short immediate interest when it comes to crucial issues like the public bidding scandal,” says Miklós Ligeti, head of legal affairs at Transparency International (TI) Hungary. According to Mr. Ligeti, the amendment was originally proposed in parliament one day after the organization mentioned publicly that it would be filing an FOI request regarding the tobacco licenses. Within two days, and under a special fast-track procedure, the amend­ment was approved. It was subsequently modified - after the president, who had to sign it into law, sent it back to parliament for reconsideration - before being passed with some revisions, csmonitor.com DUNA Travel 8530 Holloway Dr. #102 W. 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