Budapest responded to the announcement by asserting it will not repeal the laws
George Soros‘s international philanthropic organization has announced it will take Hungary to the European Court of Human Rights laws over the country’s recent ‘stop Soros’ laws that made it a crime to aid illegal immigrants.
Budapest responded to the announcement by asserting it will not repeal the laws, regardless of the judge’s decision.
The ‘STOP Soros’ law makes it illegal for individuals or groups to help migrants submit requests for asylum, or aid migrants gains status to stay in Hungary when they are not entitled to it, punishable by prison term.
The Open Society Foundations (OSF), said the new legislation “breaches the guarantees of freedom of expression and association enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights and must be repealed”.
The Independent reports: “The Hungarian government has fabricated a narrative of lies to blind people to the truth: that these laws were designed to intimidate independent civil society groups, in another step towards silencing all dissent,” OSF president Patrick Gaspard said in a statement.
OSF announced the provisions of the legislation were so broadly written that ”they will have a far-reaching and chilling effect on the work of civil society far beyond the field of migration”.
Budapest, which has accused Mr. Soros and the liberal groups he advocates of trying to destroy Europe’s Christian culture by promoting mass migration, responded with defiance.
“The government stands by the Stop Soros package of laws … as the legislation serves the will of the Hungarian people and the protection of Hungary and Europe,” a government spokesman said.
“The Soros organization attacks the Stop Soros package with all possible means as the legislation stands in the way of illegal immigration. The aim of George Soros and organizations supported by him is to flood Europe with migrants.”
Mr. Soros, who was born in Hungary, denies trying to promote mass migration into Europe from the Middle East and outside.
In May, OSF announced it would close its department in Budapest after more than 30 years and move to Berlin.
Mr. Orban, who has been in government since 2010 and won a third consecutive term in April with a large majority, has increased his control over Hungary’s media and courts and put allies in control of once sovereign institutions.
The legislation on asylum seekers has drawn denunciation from the UN refugee agency and the European Union.
It comes as Conservative MEPs received a letter of “gratitude” for their decision to oppose a vote in the European Parliament against Mr. Orban’s government.
Mr. Orban lost the vote, and the council triggered its means to sanction Hungary for mocking EU rules on democracy and civil rights.