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Articles by Todor Gardos
Slovenia: A chance for equality
By Todor Gardos, Amnesty International's Balkans Campaigner Slovenia is on its way to becoming the first country in Central Europe to allow same-sex couples to marry. Its citizens should feel proud of this historic opportunity to widen the scope of civil rights by voting in the referendum that closes 20 December. By legalizing same-sex marriage, 13 European countries have already recognized that registered civil partnerships are not equal to civil marriage.
Misery Deepens for Trapped Asylum Seekers in Greece
Boat migration to Greece is no longer in the headlines but the crisis for asylum seekers on the Greek islands continues. More than 18,000 asylum seekers remain trapped in overcrowded camps on the Aegean islands. The largest, Moria camp on Lesbos, now holds more than 9,000 people, triple its capacity. Children don’t have access to schools and vulnerable asylum seekers, including pregnant women and people with disabilities, cannot access critical services.
EU Court Rules on Blocking Extradition to Poland
The EU Court of Justice today ruled that European courts can block extradition requests from Poland. It was right to rule as it did. The reason? Poland’s purge of senior judges and its efforts to undermine the independence of its courts. This could endanger Polish citizens’ right to a fair trial – a value at the heart of the European Union.
Hungary is Determined to Silence Any Critics Left Standing
Protesters attend a rally against Hungarian government's clampdown on a top foreign university and non-government organisations in Budapest, Hungary, May 21, 2017. © 2018 REUTERS/Laszlo Balogh With independent media largely silenced or taken over, the courts increasingly curbed, and a parliament firmly under the control of the newly re-elected Fidesz ruling party, Hungary’s nongovernmental groups are the most effective remaining voices to hold the government to account.
Hungary is determined to silence any critics left standing | View
By Todor GardosWith independent media largely silenced or taken over, the courts increasingly curbed, and a parliament firmly under the control of the newly re-elected Fidesz ruling party, Hungary’s nongovernmental groups are the most effective remaining voices to hold the government to account. It should come as no surprise then that they are increasingly under fire.Laws passed against these groups in 2017 and since Hungary’s legislative elections are bad enough.
Hungary Tries to Stop Asylum Seekers with New Law
A bill passed by the Hungarian Parliament would criminalize efforts to help migrants and asylum seekers and curb their access to protection. Hungary’s Parliament passed a law that not only makes it almost impossible to seek asylum in Hungary, but also makes it a crime to help migrants and refugees.
EU Looks to Rein in Funding to Abusive EU Governments
European Union flags flutter outside the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, October 28, 2015. © 2015 Reuters It’s not every day the European Commission proposes something truly ground-breaking. But yesterday, when the EU announced a new plan to link EU funds given to member states to the health of their judiciary, it did just that. The plan calls for states receiving funds to uphold judicial independence, functioning courts, and the rule of law.
A Third Consecutive Term for Fidesz is Not a Mandate for Rights Abuse
Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party won a third consecutive term in last weekend’s election, and is poised to take two thirds of the 199-seat Parliament, with Viktor Orban remaining Prime Minister. The last time Fidesz had a supermajority in Parliament, it used it to push through a series of problematic unilateral changes to the country’s constitution and laws that weakened checks and balances on the executive.
Hungary’s Government Turns on the UN
Hungary’s government has smeared human rights groups, the European Union, migrants, and philanthropist and former financier George Soros. Now the Hungarian government has a new target – the United Nations. Hungary’s Foreign Minister has even demanded the resignation of the UN’s top human rights official Zeid bin Ra’ad al-Hussein – after Zeid, in a speech to the UN Human Rights Council, described as racist comments made by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán about immigration and race-mixing.
Polish Crackdown Ahead of Climate Talks
In mid-January, the Polish parliament passed a government-sponsored bill which, if signed by President Andrzej Duda, will hamper the rights of environmental activists to protest at UN climate talks in December and subject them to government surveillance. The summit, known as the COP24, taking place in the southern city of Katowice, brings together states parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, and thousands of experts, journalists, businesses, and nongovernmental groups.
Hungary’s Government Strengthens its Anti-NGO Smear Campaign
People protest in Heroes’ square against a new law that would undermine Central European University, a liberal graduate school of social sciences founded by U.S. financier George Soros in Budapest, Hungary, April 12, 2017. © 2017 Reuters Hungary’s government announced a new draft law ostensibly aimed at curbing “illegal migration” on Wednesday. This in itself isn’t unusual for a European Union government.
We will not be intimidated by Hungary's NGO law
"Even though I'd braced myself for the news, yesterday's result still sent a jolt through me like electricity," Julia Ivan, director of Amnesty International Hungary told me today. "Hard won freedoms will be lost and the vital work done by NGOs to create a freer and fairer society will be seriously hampered by Orban's bullying politics." As director of an organisation that will itself be affected by the new NGO law was passed today, she should know.
Belgrade's forgotten child refugees burn rubbish to keep warm as Europe freezes
In a corner of a cavernous abandoned warehouse in Belgrade, 11-year-old Ahmed huddles around a small fire with four other boys. They are boiling potatoes, a meagre meal that is likely to be the only food that they will eat today. Outside, the city is blanketed in snow. Despite the morning sunshine that streams though the glassless windows, forming translucent beams in the smoke-filled air, the temperature outside is -10C. Inside it is not much warmer.
Hungary's Mistreatment of Refugees Today Ignores History
Sixty years on and half a world away, Judy Kepecz-Hays still remembers the fear. “We were walking through the forest towards the border. My mother told me not to make a sound,” she recalled.
In the long crossing to Hungary refugee families get stuck in transition
‘The journey has been so difficult, especially for my child,’ Noor*, a 27-year-old woman from Afghanistan tells us. ‘I have had to watch her be scared every day, dry her tears every day.’ Noor is in Horgoš (Хоргош) on the Serbian-Hungarian border, a tented pre-transit camp beside a high barbed-wire fence. Each morning she joins hundreds of others, crowding around anxiously to look at a list, to see where their name is and how much longer they have to wait.
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