Marta Pardavi, Helsinki Committee Co-Chair said, “Instead of giving protection against persecution, the Hungarian government has decided to join the ranks of the persecutors.”
In a blatant defiance of the European Union laws, Hungary has passed a set of bills which criminalises any help given to illegal immigrants.
Prime Minister Victor Orbán named the law STOP Soros law to demonise the US billionaire George Soros accused of encouraging mass migration to Europe.
In a justification attached to the draft legislation, the Interior Minister of Hungary, Sandor Pinter wrote, “The Hungarian people rightfully expect the government to use all means necessary to combat illegal immigration and the activities that aid it. The STOP Soros package of bills serves that goal, making the organization of illegal immigration a criminal offence. We want to use the bills to stop Hungary from becoming a country of immigrants.”
Soros, a Jew considered by many as the world's greatest trader, was born in Budapest, Hungary, and escaped during the country's Nazi occupation, migrating to England and later to the US.
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Known to be a philanthropist and a supporter of liberal policies, Soros has often been the subject of right-wing attacks, with conspiracy theories talking about his role in engineering revolutions and overthrowing governments. His pro-immigrant stance has made him unpopular in several European countries where immigration is seen as a problem, including in his native country Hungary.
In 2015, a large number of migrants, mostly Muslims, had entered Hungary fleeing war and poverty in their country.
While most of them moved to wealthier European countries, the Prime Minister has branded the migrants as a threat to Europe’s Christian community and has also built a fence along the country’s southern border to ensure that more migrants don’t come in.
According to statistics, as of April 2018, Hungary had a population of around 10 million, of which around 3,555 were refugees. Of these, only 342 were registered as asylum seekers and 279 were approved.
Marta Pardavi, the Helsinki Committee Co-Chair said, “Instead of giving protection against persecution, the Hungarian government has decided to join the ranks of the persecutors.”
The Hungarian government might attract possible legal action from the European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, over enacting the STOP Soros law.
The Hungarian Parliament also decided to set up a new judicial branch for administrative cases. Many critics believe that this decision might increase the influence of politicians over judges.