The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatovic, has expressed concern about the situation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people in Hungary. „I am alarmed by the apparent escalation of the stigmatization of LGBTI people and the influencing of their dignity and rights for political advantage,“ Mijatovic said today.
As an example, Mijatovic cited a proposed law that would only allow the adoption of children from singles and same-sex couples with a special permit. The government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban wants to write in the Hungarian constitution that “the mother is a woman and the father is a man”.
Warning of consequences
In connection with other constitutional amendments, Mijatovic warned of severely negative consequences for human rights in the country. She feared that several drafts of the legislative package could seriously undermine democracy, the rule of law and human rights in Hungary.
„Such far-reaching legislative proposals, especially constitutional amendments, should not be introduced during an emergency,“ said Mijatovic. She called on the Hungarian parliament to wait until after the emergency to vote on the aforementioned projects.
The Council of Europe, based in Strasbourg, France, is committed to protecting human rights in its 47 member states. It is not a body of the European Union.
