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CoE ombudsman chides Orban for Hungary’s “populist trends”
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Budapest (MTI) – Human rights commissioner of the Council of Europe Nils Muiznieks has expressed concern over “the populist trend in political discourse in Hungary” in connection with Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s recent remarks on the death penalty, among other subjects.
“The idea of reintroducing the death penalty which has been raised by Prime Minister Orban is incompatible with Hungary’s obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights and runs contrary to the values that Europe stands for,” Muiznieks said in a statement sent to MTI on Wednesday.
He also criticised the government’s plans to send out questionnaires to the public on the issues of immigration and terrorism. He said the content of the questionnaires was “unacceptable” for feeding “intolerance against migrants”.
He urged the government to take a “more human rights oriented approach to migration issues.”
Guy Verhofstadt, the head of European Parliament’s liberal group, on Wednesday called on the European People’s Party to withdraw support from Orban.
The EPP, to which Orban’s Fidesz party belongs, said in a tweet that the “death penalty is against EPP values and EU treaties. This is non-negotiable. President Joseph Daul will ask to speak with Viktor Orban to clarify yesterday’s statement”.
A European Commission spokesman said the “abolition of the death penalty is a condition, a requirement to join the EU.” and another source on condition of anonymity gave warning that Hungary could lose its voting rights in the European Council over such a move.
In the wake of a brutal murder of a young tobacconist in southwest Hungary, Orban on Tuesday said that the issue of restoring capital punishment should be “kept on the agenda” as even strict “three strikes” laws and real life sentences have been unable to deter criminals. In response to a report on this issue from Strasbourg, Orban’s press chief said on Wednesday that Orban “stands at the disposal of Martin Schulz, president of the European Parliament, regarding the death penalty issue”.