HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE CONSIDERS REPORT OF HUNGARY

The Human Rights Committee has considered the fifth periodic report of Hungary on how that country implements the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Levente Szekely, Chargé d'Affaires and Deputy Permanent Representative of Hungary to the United Nations Office at Geneva, introducing the report, said since the last report, Hungary had become a member of the European Union, thereby adopting a strong human rights framework. Preservation of the diversity of Hungary's common European cultural heritage, as well as the integration of the Roma communities, were likely to be key priorities of the Hungarian Presidency of the European Council, in the first semester of 2011. The Government was convinced that public perception of the Roma population and their social status could be improved significantly through an objective and unprejudiced presentation by the media of their everyday life. To this end, the Government envisaged a balanced media regulation, which guaranteed transparent operation and was committed to ensuring the necessary requirements for professional communication.

Experts raised a number of questions and issues, including expressing their condolences for the ecological disaster that had recently taken place in Hungary, noting that the toxic discharge itself raised human rights issues, although not necessarily in light of implementation of the Covenant. An Expert noted that some of the questions in the List of Issues had received no response until today, and that this made the dialogue very difficult. Another asked if it were true that the Commissioner on Human Rights did not deal with breaches of Roma rights, as they came under another remit, that of civil and political rights. The issue of the Constitutional review was also raised, and an Expert asked to what extent was the State party considering including explicit references to the rights of the Roma therein, as it would be very appropriate, useful and constructive. One Expert said he had a disturbing and eerie feeling when reading about the rise of anti-Semitic and other racist groups in Hungary, and wished to put this on record.

Also Experts said, among other things, that reports emanating from non-governmental organizations spoke of illegal operations undertaken by extreme right-wing groups, including anti-Roma activities, and that they operated openly, as the security authorities had not taken sufficient action against them. What measures was the Government intending to take to combat hate speech, in particular with regard to the Roma, what civil law sanctions did it intend to apply, and did the Government intend to create new policies to combat wide-spread racial hatred in public debate, especially emanating from State agents, an Expert asked. What percentage of Parliamentary seats were reserved for minorities, another inquired, also asking if the State party had taken any measures to ensure that the recent legislative process concerning the representation of national and ethnic minorities in the new Constitution would be completed with the consent of the national minorities self-Governments.

The delegation of Hungary also included representatives of the Ministry of Public Administration and Justice, the Ministry of National Resources, the Ministry of the Interior, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The next public meeting of the Committee will be at 3 p.m. on Wednesday 20 October, when the Committee will continue its discussion of its draft General Comment on article 19 of the Convention.


Report of Hungary

The fifth periodic report of Hungary (CCPR/C/HUN/5) aims at describing the basic changes Hungary has undergone due to the admission to the European Union as well as giving a detailed overview on the enhanced democratic achievements the country obtained, taking also into consideration the fields in which Hungary still has some shortcomings. The Constitution also declares that Hungary respects the human rights and civil rights of all persons in the country without discrimination on the basis of race, colour, gender, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origins, financial situation, birth or on any other grounds whatsoever and the law provides for strict punishment of discrimination. Everyone has the right to equal compensation for equal work, without any discrimination. Since the last periodic report submitted by the Republic of Hungary in connection with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Parliament adopted Act CXXV of 2003 on equal treatment and the promotion of equal opportunities in 2003. The Equal Treatment Act entered into force on 27 January 2004. It contains basically administrative instruments prohibiting any kind of discrimination.

A National Strategy Plan for Gender Equality (2009–2020) is presently under preparation by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour for the next 12 years. The long-term priorities thereof are based on the Gender Equality Roadmap and consist of the following: equal economic independence for women and men, the reconciliation of private and professional life, equal representation in decision-making, the eradication of all forms of gender-based violence, the elimination of gender stereotypes, and encouragement of the necessary changes concerning the institutionalization of gender mainstreaming. However, in practice, short-term (for 2 years) action plans are planned to be introduced to specify the necessary activities for achieving these goals. Pursuant to Article 7 of the Covenant and the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, the “Fundamental Rights and Duties” of the Constitution of the Republic of Hungary provides that everyone has the inherent right to life and to human dignity, no one shall be subject to torture or to cruel, inhuman or humiliating treatment or punishment. Fulfilling international requirements and the general provisions of the Constitution, Hungarian laws and other regulations have developed extensive safeguards to prevent torture and inhuman or degrading treatment.

The crime of trafficking in human beings was incorporated in the Criminal Code by Act LXXXVII of 1998, stating that committing such an offence for the purpose of labour is a classified case of this crime. The criminal conducts specified therein (sale; purchase; transfer/receipt, exchange, acquisition as due consideration) were supplemented by Act CXXI of 2001; thus, since 1 April 2002 a person guilty of recruitment, transportation, harbouring, or receipt of another person for the purpose of trafficking may be punished with up to three years of imprisonment, or, in classified cases even with life imprisonment. In the past two decades there were some considerable changes in the Hungarian criminal law system. The death penalty was abolished in 1990 by the Constitutional Court, and then the real life imprisonment (without probation) was introduced by the Parliament in 1998. The regulations on infliction of punishments in the Criminal Code were revised several times, which influenced the practice of the courts in sentencing.

Introduction of Report

Levente Szekely, Chargé d'Affaires and Deputy Permanent Representative of Hungary to the United Nations Office at Geneva, introducing the report, said the process of preparing the new Hungarian Constitution had recently been set in motion, with the purpose of inter alia reinforcing, where necessary, human rights protection based upon standards set by international instruments, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The Hungarian Government openly and clearly dissociated itself from statements, persons and organizations driven by racism, and the necessary legislative framework was in place. Under Hungarian criminal law, any person who incited to hatred against any national, ethnic, racial, religious group or other groups of the population was guilty of an offence punishable by imprisonment for up to three years.

The Government was convinced that public perception of the Roma population and their social status could be improved significantly through an objective and unprejudiced presentation by the media of their everyday life. To this end, the Government envisaged a balanced media regulation, which guaranteed transparent operation and was committed to ensuring the necessary requirements for professional communication. The Ministry of Public Administration and Justice was responsible for hammering out a policy concept for the social inclusion of the Roma, as well as for coordinating the implementation of the Government's inclusion agenda. In its inclusion policy, the Government sought to make a clear distinction between Roma issues - as special minority issues - and problems which affected a large part of the Roma population not on ethnic grounds but because of their social situation. Equal opportunities in education as well as non-discrimination were important priorities for the new Government - it was in this very spirit that professionally-sound programmes would be launched for the renewal of pedagogical methods, the expansion of kindergartens, and the improvement of access to quality education.

Since the last report, Hungary had become a member of the European Union, thereby adopting a strong human rights framework. Preservation of the diversity of Hungary's common European cultural heritage, as well as the integration of the Roma communities were likely to be key priorities of the Hungarian Presidency of the European Council, in the first semester of 2011. Hungary would have its human rights situation reviewed at the eleventh session of the Universal Periodic Review process in May 2011; the preparation of the national report was in full gear. In 2008, Hungary had started a series of annual conferences under the title of the Budapest Human Rights Forum, which was followed with great interest by international organizations, the diplomatic community, and non-governmental organizations. Last year, Hungary had announced its intention to establish a Centre for the International Prevention of Genocide and Mass Atrocities, by which initiative it hoped to contribute to the international promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms with special emphasis on the prevention of genocide and mass atrocities, with a view to spreading a culture of prevention. The establishment of an institutionalised mechanism able to coordinate with an international network of players and stakeholders closely linked to both global and regional decision-making bodies was a prerequisite for effective actions.

Responding to the first 18 issues on the List of Issues, the delegation said Hungary had not officially and formally accredited a human rights institution according to the Paris Principles, but had various bodies that covered its requirements, including the Parliamentary Commissioner for Civil Rights, who could recommend a solution for human rights violations to the relevant authorities. For the time being, Hungary did not intend to review the scope of the Equal Treatment Act, but believed that the scope was already sufficiently broad, extending to all acts and omissions by public actors as well as to some acts by private actors. With regard to racist violence and the fight against hate speech and hate crimes, the delegation said the Criminal Code did not have a definition of hate crime, but regulated several independent offences in that regard, including genocide, violence against a member of the community, and apartheid. The law punished various types of violence through special measures. In 2010, the Parliament introduced an amendment to the Criminal Code inserting a reference to "holocaust denial", including means to punish this.

Freedom of speech could only be limited to a certain extent, the delegation said. The police was on a high priority track in order to combat these issues. Hungary had a long history of dealing with Roma rights, and was working with other countries as well to improve this situation and work on their integration. There were also other programmes, such as between the Police and the National Roma Self-Government, in order to improve the Roma representation in the police force, however, there was a problem in receiving and assessing Roma data, and Hungary would appreciate assistance in this regard. Hungary believed that it should not intervene too much in the freedom of expression. There was a Roma training programme on Hungarian National Television. The Government had always had a clear vision of how to integrate individuals into Hungarian society, including refugees and those in need of protection.

On violence against women, domestic violence was not an independent criminal offence, but there were nearly 30 definitions in the Criminal Code covering this issue. Hungary had quite a good system for victims, with a free phone number for all victims of domestic violence or of violence against women. With the help of this number, victims could go to the National Crisis Network, made up of 11 shelters, where all victims could stay up to 60 days, obtaining comprehensive help to improve their situation and begin a new lifestyle. Hungary had realised it also needed a place to put the victims afterwards, and had established half-way exit programmes, providing a flat for the next four years. There had been only one reported incident of sterilisation performed without consent, and the Government had taken all possible steps to respond to this situation, making sure that today there were no possibilities for enforced sterilisation without consent. Punishment of the act of terrorism was most severe within the Criminal Code, punishable by 10 to 20 years imprisonment, or even life, even though terrorism in Hungary had never been on an international scale or even a top concern. In Hungary, terrorism remained, in the last few decades, an act against the Hungarian State. A new police unit had been established to fight terrorism, integrating into one official unit the policing of terrorism and the secret police initiatives to counter terrorist activity.

On ill-treatment and detention by the police, the delegation said the Hungarian Criminal Code always provided for the fight against ill-treatment. The figures of criminal and court statistics showed that there had always been criminal proceedings ending in indictments in this regard. Those who had been ill-treated could call for an investigative procedure to be launched, in which case it would not be taken up by the Police, but by the Prosecutor. There were programmes to reduce prejudices in police officers and other law enforcement bodies, as well as for prison staff officers.

Questions by Experts

Experts then raised a number of questions and issues, including expressing their condolences for the ecological disaster that had recently taken place in Hungary, noting that the toxic discharge itself raised human rights issues, although not necessarily in light of the implementation of the Covenant. An Expert also noted that some of the questions in the List of Issues had received no response until today, and that this made the dialogue very difficult. Another asked if it were true that the Commissioner on Human Rights did not deal with breaches of Roma rights, as they came under another remit, that of civil and political rights. The issue of the constitutional review was also raised, and an Expert asked to what extent was the State party considering including explicit references to the rights of the Roma therein, as it would be very appropriate, useful and constructive. With regard to alternative ways to improve the portrayal of the media, an Expert applauded the inclusion of Roma within the mainstream media and encouraged this and other programmes.

On domestic violence, an Expert noted that there was no independent classification of domestic violence and rape as offences in the State Party's Criminal Code, and had learned earlier that there were some 30 definitions in the Code covering domestic violence, saying that against this background it was difficult to gather the data required for the Committee to do its work, and requesting detailed data for the reporting period on the number of charges made, successful convictions, and sentences imposed. Had the crime of supporting a terrorist group been described in detail through legislation, another Expert inquired. One Expert said he had a disturbing and eerie feeling when reading about the rise of anti-Semitic and other racist groups in Hungary, and wished to put this on record. An Expert also asked whether there was an increasing trend in pre-trial detentions and detainees, saying that reported figures were of concern, and asking whether there were measures being applied to reduce this phenomenon, and what alternatives were being used. The situations of refugees and asylum-seekers who were routinely kept in detention was also raised, as were the conditions in which they were kept, as these were reportedly not appropriate, in particular for pregnant women and married couples.

Response by Delegation

Responding to these issues and others, Mr. Szekely thanked the Experts for their comments. He pointed out that the answers to the List of Issues had been written before the new Government took its position. Criticisms relating to the country were just, but he begged the Experts' indulgence for the situation, which was a huge political change, and the Government would do its utmost to provide all details that may have been lacking from the original replies.

The delegation said that it was important to identify who was Roma and who was not, but they did not need to be targeted on their cultural or ethnic background, but on their socio-economic roots, aiming to improve these parameters. On this line, there were a lot of cultural projects, including a Fund to which the Roma could apply in order to be able to create art projects. There was also economic aid to help them and other disadvantaged persons to set up small and medium sized enterprises. A problem had always lain in identifying who were the Roma precisely. It was easiest to target the disadvantaged population, but this was not always easy due to corruption. The Government spent a lot of money on the Roma, but could not say exactly what had worked and what had not.

With regard to short-term arrest, the delegation said this was based on legal grounds which were not as strict or firm as those for criminal detention, but still existed and were in use by the police. Short-term arrests were in close relation with the identification of the person being arrested. If the identity could not be determined at first sight or by an identity document, the police had the right to arrest them for a period of 4 hours, to be extended in 4 hour blocks up to 12 hours. There were an increasing number of detainees, which caused a lag in the important principle of fair trial and putting trials on as soon as possible. All detentions would be deducted from the finally-imposed sentence. There were some prisons that were not over-crowded, mainly in rural areas, but the major town centres were housing too many detainees, including of different types, which was not ideal.

With regard to the budget of the Parliamentary Commissioners, the delegation said that Hungary had four Commissioners, responsible for different fields of fundamental rights, with a common, integrated office and a common, integrated staff. The whole aggregate budget amounted to approximately 5,875,000 Euros for 2010, out of which staff salaries was the highest proportion, about 4,800,000 Euros. With regard to the Paris Principles and whether the institutions in Hungary met the requirements thereof, Hungary was not fully in line with these, but met them in a great part. First, Hungary had no single comprehensive human rights institution acting as a single body, but had several public institutions dealing with fundamental human rights issues, including the Parliamentary Commissioners, and the Equal Opportunity Authority, all of which covered all human rights and fundamental freedoms, including civil, economic, social and cultural rights, the rights of the child, and the rights of persons with disabilities. There could be no gap in the protection of fundamental human rights, as enshrined in the Constitution of Hungary; however, there could be some hesitancy in determining the exact scope of the work of the different institutions, and thus there could be some overlap. Hungary believed the different bodies were wise in their work, and ensured that they did not overlap.

Besides recognising that there could be some lacuna particularly in the composition and pluralism of the human rights institutions, it should be noted that these institutions were to a large extent independent from the Government, the delegation said, being subject only to the law. Criticism could therefore be addressed only to the independence of the Equal Opportunity Authority, but not to the Parliamentary Commissioners. However, this lack of independence was not a real problem, as it was a public administratory body. In the framework of the preparatory work for preparing the new Constitution, the question of the legal status of the Parliamentary Commissioners and the Equal Opportunity Authority would possibly be reviewed, and maybe a single human rights institution would be created, and this would be in line with the Paris Principles. Mr. Szekely added that the global economic crisis had impacted on Hungary, and Hungary was doubly hit by an earlier downturn, and Experts should bear this in mind when the delegation mentioned the partial lack of resources in the protection and promotion and implementation of human rights.

The delegation said the national and ethnic minorities living in Hungary were part of the sovereignty of the nation and part of the constituents of the State, according to the Constitution. There was a lot of criticism with regard to the definition of minorities - these should have lived in Hungary for more than 100 years, and should wish to preserve their minority culture. The Government had faced the fact that the Roma was the biggest minority in the country. With regard to data collection, at this time there was no such collection in criminal proceedings as to the minority origin of the perpetrator, but there was for the victim if such identity was a defining element of the criminal act committed against them.

With regard to the Terrorist Act, there were two definitions in the Criminal Code of attempt and perpetration - any person who began the perpetration of a premeditated crime but did not complete it would be punished for the attempt. Attempt was always punishable, and preparation was also punishable in the connection of the Terrorist Act. On the interpretation of the Constitutional Code on hate crimes, there were four possible interpretations which the delegation would transmit to Experts by email. The freedom of expression could be limited to a particular extent. On Holocaust denial, the Parliament had adopted, in 2010, an amendment which listed this as an offence, and it was punishable by imprisonment up to three years. With regard to genocide, there was an independent definition in the Criminal Code, which said that any person with the ultimate aim of the total or partial elimination of a national, racial or religious group, killed members of that group or caused them serious mental or physical harm, constrained their living conditions, threatened the existence of the group, or removed the children of the group, could face up to life imprisonment.

Emergency sterilisations were allowed under certain circumstances, including the health and well-being of the mother, and if any child born were to suffer insurmountable difficulties impacting on their life. The informed consent of the women was required for sterilisation, and there was a long waiting period. There were two institutions that monitored and assessed the health system in Hungary, both of which had the right to control all health care centres and hospitals. In every hospital there were legal experts for patients to consult on legal questions. There was a foundation for patients, social beneficiaries and children's rights, which also dealt with healthcare questions. On the Global Gender Gap Report of the World Economic Forum, Hungary had to admit that women in politics were still underrepresented in Hungary. However, with further analysis, there were other areas in the report, such as in education, economic participation and health, where Hungary made a better showing. There were still gender gaps, but the overall picture was better than it seemed at first glance. To improve the situation, the Government was working on the basis of the National Strategy for the Promotion of Gender Equality, which included special provisions for Roma women, including reducing disparities between access to education and health and the provision of childcare.

The lack of definition of marital rape did not mean that it was not punishable, as rape was defined as of itself. There was no definition in the Criminal Code of domestic violence, but there was a certain amount of data, as the relationship between a perpetrator and a victim was noted, and this indicated a certain amount of improvement of the situation. In the first half of 2010 there were 723 victims in shelters for victims of violence, of which 35 were single women, 205 were mothers with children, 474 children, and 1 single man.

The general education of police staff included how to tackle prejudices and an approach to ethnic minorities, including the Roma, the delegation said, and yet Hungary recognized it needed to enhance efforts to make a better approach of the topic. The so-called Roma Police Programme aimed to make the police attractive as a form of employment to the Roma community, which would allow the Roma to have a better approach and understanding of crime in the Roma community. On forced medical treatment, there were two separate branches in this, namely medical treatment, which called for a civil judge to send a patient to a medical treatment institution, and this treatment would be reviewed every 30 days or on occasion of necessity by the same judge, and if the person implicated was not able to exercise their rights, the judiciary had to take them under tutelage. If the medical treatment was not forced but was in agreement, the review took place every 60 days. The restriction of personal freedoms in the context of the treatment was also a consideration, and should be chosen only by the doctor providing the treatment. Forced medical treatment on prisoners was only done in the case of the clinically insane.

There was an increase in the number of pre-trial detentions, showing that the judiciary was lagging behind, the delegation said. In the absence of the mandatory defence counsel, a valid interrogation could be made, as the Criminal Proceeding Code prescribed only to summon that counsel before the interrogation, and if that summoning was done correctly, then the interrogation or hearing could be undertaken, even in the absence of the counsel. Regarding overcrowded prisons, Hungary was aware that this was a major issue to be tackled and faced up to. Besides opening up new facilities, one way to reduce the number of prisoners was to use more alternative solutions, such as non-custodial sentences, and this would be achieved by the application of the new Criminal Code in January 2011. On pre-trial detention being effectuated in prisons, police halls or police wards, the delegation did not have any real information on whether this really happened, and would look into the issue, as if this happened, it was a felony in as of itself which could be punished by up to five years imprisonment, and an investigation would be launched to determine the situation.

The delegation also acknowledged a challenge with regard to freedom of speech in the media. Programme provisions could not be aimed to excite any minority group, and public service providers were required to respect the dignity and fundamental rights of the nation, whilst not offending the dignity of other nations. The census next year would contain information on ethnic identity and would also include double identity for the first time. This would provide updated information on the Roma. The Government's responsibility was to assure the minorities that this information would not be used for negative purposes.

In response to follow-up questions, Mr. Szekely said that Hungary was very much aware of the problems which were not specific to Hungary but were related to certain elements of society, and certain frictions which had emerged. Hungary had one of the largest Jewish communities in the region, and Mr. Szekely was not aware of any Jews leaving Budapest due to a negative atmosphere. He would not deny that there was more right-wing political animosity, but said that it had not changed the general Hungarian attitude towards the Jewish community. With regard to the legal basis of short-term arrest, the delegation said this was an important issue, and it was unacceptable to deprive persons of their liberty without a clearly accessible legal norm, going into details as to how this detention was to be put into practice by State agents or the police, and the Government should strive for better regulation that was more in line with its expectations as to how such a situation was regulated. Incitement to hatred had been examined several times by the Constitutional Court. The Minority Act was created in 1993, and it needed to be reconsidered and reviewed in the future, as it was now old. The same applied to the issue of hate speech, and Hungary would welcome any recommendations on how to tackle this issue when there were so many independent bodies operating on their own.

Presentation by Delegation

In a brief presentation of the rest of the List of Issues, the delegation said the Government was committed to solving problems regarding the education of the Roma children and their high inclusion in classes for disabled students. Methodological development, as well as structural changes, would be made to improve early-childhood care and reduce school drop-outs, among others. The Education Act prohibited discrimination, and the definition of disadvantaged and multiply-disadvantaged students was included. The prohibition of segregation was ensured, as schools had to accept pupils living in the region, and there was a section on balancing regular students with more disadvantaged students. Since 2003, there were pedagogical programmes, new methods developed, and, every year, more and more schools participated in these programmes. There was financial support for parents for pre-school education, and an increased salary for teachers teaching disadvantaged students. Children who were integrated performed better than non-integrated children, and their self-esteem was enhanced.

Training was provided for teachers and members of rehabilitation committees. Mr. Szekely said on statistical data on educational integration programmes, around 1,600 educational institutions were participating in integration programmes, and around 300,000 pupils were included therein, with about 13,000 teachers. This year, in 2010, there were around 9,100 institutions that had made it clear they wanted to go on or be included in these programmes. On the participation of minorities in political life, this had been an important topic at the United Nations Minority Forum's last session, and Hungary had made a strong contribution to this, and would forward the documents prepared for that session. On minority self-government, the new Government of Hungary was very much committed to improving the unique minority self-government system which it had in force since the early 1990s. The new Ministry dealing with Public Administration and Justice had already started a social and civic dialogue with the large, national and ethnic minorities for input in improving and amending this system.

Human rights education started in the upper grade of primary school, at around the age of 13, and the National Curriculum contained social and civic competences as one of the eight key competencies, the delegation said, as well as mankind and development in society. International human rights instruments were introduced to students, who were encouraged to discuss the issues among themselves. There was a Commissioner for Educational Rights, organised through the Ministry of Education, with the task of generating an open and honest dialogue on the rights of students, teachers, and parents, contributing to the dissemination of human rights. Ethnic origin was not a factor in the Child Protection System - what was more important was that it prioritised family-based solutions, and guaranteed the right of the child to grow up in a family environment ensuring physical, moral, and intellectual development. The Child Protection System had many different measures, including financial, basic person measures, special aid measures directly to persons, and to remove a child from the family was a final solution. The Child Protection System was a helping solution, helping the family and the child with the best way of growing up. There could be an over-representation of Roma children in the system, but this was not due to discrimination.

Questions from Experts

In a second round of questions, Experts said, among other things, that reports emanating from non-governmental organizations spoke of illegal operations undertaken by extreme right-wing groups, including anti-Roma activities, and that they operated openly, as the security authorities had not taken sufficient action against them. What measures was the Government intending to take to combat hate speech, in particular with regard to the Roma, what civil law sanctions did it intend to apply, and did the Government intend to create new policies to combat wide-spread racial hatred in public debate, especially emanating from State agents, an Expert asked. It was possible that children could be naturalised on preferential terms under certain conditions, an Expert noted, asking for some clarification on what additional conditions were. What percentage of Parliamentary seats were reserved for minorities, another inquired, also asking if the State party had taken any measures to ensure that the recent legislative process concerning the representation of national and ethnic minorities in the new Constitution would be completed with the consent of the national minorities self-Governments.

Response by Delegation

Written responses to these questions and others would be provided in writing due to a lack of time, the delegation said.

Concluding Remarks

Levente Szekely, Chargé d'Affaires and Deputy Permanent Representative of Hungary to the United Nations Office at Geneva, in concluding remarks, thanked the Committee for its benevolent and critical approach during the hearing. Hungary would make every effort to give answers to the last questions. Hungary wished to ask the Experts to take into consideration the special situation of the delegation - the members of which were part of a new Government, and the report, as well as the replies to the List of Issues, were written by another Government, and a large part of the Governmental structure had changed. In many instances, the person who had written parts of the replies or of the report was no longer in their post, and the delegation was not necessarily aware of the background. The Committee's good-will and criticism would be carefully considered by the new Government, and hopefully, all the inputs would be considered in drafting the new Constitution. This review had been very useful, providing an opportunity to take stock of what had been achieved, and identify areas where further steps were needed. The delegation had listened carefully to the opinions of the Committee, taking note of praise and criticism of less-good practices and omissions. The delegation would channel the Committee's comments into areas where the Government's work could be improved.

ZONKE ZANELE MAJODINA, Committee Vice-Chairperson, said it had been a good, constructive dialogue, and the Committee had gained good insights into the situation in Hungary. Hopefully, Hungary would also find the dialogue of benefit and useful, and the exchange would play a role in the ongoing process of the writing of the Constitution in Hungary.


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