Hungary Puts Its Foot Down!

In a sad and pathetic attempt to cuddle up to Washington, Hungary has granted asylum for 29 Cubans who were hiding out in Guantanamo Bay after attempting to go to Florida. Naturally, Hungarian government officials denied the claim that they were cuppling Washington's balls and said they allowed the asylum for humanitarian reasons.

As we are all well aware, Hungary is the beacon of human rights protection. In fact, that last statement was completely false. Human Rights Watch states that:

Most of the objectives in the Hungarian government's medium term plan for Roma rights were unmet at the end of 2000, resulting in continued discrimination in employment, housing, and education and police abuse of Hungarian Roma. In July 2000, a group of Roma families from Zamoly traveled to Strasbourg seeking political asylum in France. The Roma also lodged a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights seeking compensation for human rights abuses suffered in Hungary, including persecution and discrimination. The complaint charged that families' homes had been destroyed illegally by the Zamoly municipal government. The families were evicted from temporary accomodation in the local cultural center after six months, and although new homes were built for them in 2000, the Roma said they did not occupy them because they feared racially motivated attacks. In August, Roma representatives from Ozd traveled to Strasbourg to consult with the Zamoly Roma. The Ozd Roma said that fifteen families from that region wanted to emigrate as well due to persecution suffered in Hungary. On August 9, 2000, the European Roma Rights Center (ERRC) sent a letter to Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban protesting a spate of discriminatory Roma evictions in Ozd. The ERRC also expressed concern that new legislation, in effect since May 2000, permitting a notary public to order evictions expands the power of local officials to remove Roma from their homes. Although judicial review of a notary's eviction order is possible, injunctive relief is not provided by the new law, leaving families homeless while they challenge evictions.

Clearly Hungary has human rights issues of their own and yet they continue to take the high ground. Cuba may have its human rights problems here and there, but Hungary has no right to pretend that their country has more freedoms than Cuba.

Hey Hungary,

Fuck You.