UN commissioner and Venice Commission: Stop Soros laws is xenophobic

The “Stop Soros” laws passed on Wednesday criminalising people and organisations that assist asylum seekers are “shameful” and “xenophobic”, Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, has said.

As we wrote on Wednesday, Hungarian parliament passed the “Stop Soros” package of laws that penalise activities in support of illegal migration, read more HERE.

“The constant stoking of hatred by the current government for political gain has led to this latest shameful development, which is blatantly xenophobic and runs counter to European and international human rights standards and values,” Ra’ad al-Hussein said on Thursday.

The UN commissioner condemned the decision of Hungarian lawmakers, saying it was an attack on fundamental human rights and freedoms in Hungary.

Venice Commission calls on Hungary to repeal provisions of ‘Stop Soros’

Certain provisions of the “Stop Soros” package of laws on illegal migration should be repealed as it seriously impairs legitimate NGO work, the Venice Commission said in an opinion adopted on Friday.

The Council of Europe’s advisory body on constitutional issues acknowledged that many European countries criminalize assistance to entry, stay or transit of irregular migrants against financial gain.

“Such a criminal offence is not necessarily contrary to international human rights standards,” the opinion said.

However, Hungary’s “Stop Soros” law, which parliament passed on Wednesday, “unfairly criminalises organisational activities not directly related to the materialisation of illegal migration, including preparing or distributing informational materials or initiating asylum requests for migrants,” the commission said.

Fidesz

Ruling Fidesz said the Venice Commission’s call for repealing provisions of “Stop Soros” showed that US financier George “Soros’s anti-Hungarian lobbying activities” had been restarted. As part of this activity, the commission defends Soros’s pro-migration network, Fidesz said in a statement.

“Soros has his people everywhere”, the statement said.

“For us, the protection of Hungary and the security of Hungarians come first”, it added.

Source: MTi