The popular phrase of the Hungarian opposition "bezzeg Romania" is unintelligible in the light of the human rights meaning: discrimination against racial or ethnic minorities has not changed one iota, and government corruption is also taking on serious proportions.
has published its 2023 human rights report , which can be a cause for serious concern: as they note, there have been no significant changes in respect of human rights in the country, and they also address serious government corruption, writes Maszol .
The report points out that incitement to public hatred or discrimination is punishable by imprisonment or a fine, but at the same time
there are separate laws on the dissemination of anti-Semitic or anti-Roma ideas and symbols, as well as ideas and symbols related to fascist, racist and xenophobic ideologies.
A crime committed on the basis of the victim's ethnicity or race was considered an aggravating circumstance, which carries a higher penalty. The summary states:
the Romanian government did not effectively implement the law, and prosecutions based on discrimination and violence against racial or ethnic minorities were rare”.
According to experts, anti-Roma is a serious social problem, and the authorities do not properly investigate police violence against Roma. In addition, it revealed serious gaps in the persistent segregation of Roma in education and housing, as well as inadequate access to health care, clean water and sanitation.
The Hungarian minority primarily reported discrimination related to the use of the Hungarian language, after the Romanian authorities did not comply with the law that states that they can manage their affairs in their mother tongue in settlements where the minority makes up at least 20 percent of the population.
In addition, the authorities should place bilingual road signs in these settlements.
Featured image: MTI/Nándor Veres
