Video statement by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to the Budapest Human Rights Forum

12 November 2015

Thank you for inviting me to address this Forum, which gathers international and Hungarian actors to discuss human rights challenges at a key moment.

In recent weeks, this country has been has seen the arrival of large numbers of people fleeing oppression, war and misery.

Among these refugees and migrants are some of the most vulnerable people in the world. They flee zones where even the basic requirements of human life and dignity are no longer respected. They have taken desperate risks to reach a place of safety and hope.

And far too often, they have been met by a deliberately mean-spirited, violent, and even racist, negation of their fundamental humanity.

Let us be clear: when people are unable to use regular channels to escape oppression and misery, they may attempt, in desperation, to find irregular channels. You and I would probably do exactly the same thing. This does not make them criminals. It does not withdraw their right to be treated with dignity.

A country as vigorous and as confident as Hungary -- whose people have repeatedly benefited from the welcome of other nations in the past -- could certainly rise to this occasion with more effective and more respectful policies than we have seen displayed in recent weeks.

Migration requires principled and human-rights centered governance, not billboard campaigns dripping with contempt, or high razor-wire fences patrolled by dogs. Such measures violate the spirit, and in some cases the letter, of international law. They also contravene fundamental principles of the European Union, an institution whose very existence is a stand against war, for humanity and solidarity, and for the human rights of everyone.

I have the deepest respect for the people of Hungary, who have powerful recent memories of how important it is to protect human rights and indeed many Hungarians have responded positively to the plight of the refugees and migrants. This country has also played a leading role in backing Human Rights Council resolutions to condemn reprisals against civil society groups who work with the United Nations. And its courts ­-- including the Buda District Court in its important ruling in January regarding the raid on the Okotars Foundation -- have made strong decisions that will help keep the democratic and civil society space open. This topic is vital to human rights activists everywhere.

But so is the survival of the Syrian woman who has endured torture. The Eritrean man who flees servitude. The Afghan child who seeks a decent education.

Next year we will mark the 60th anniversary of the 1956 uprising, and the generous welcome given to Hungarian refugees fleeing oppression. Today those who flee are seeking refuge in Hungary; and the most effective way to commemorate that uprising would be to greet them with equal dignity and respect.

I count on your help, to maintain Hungary’s good name as a principled actor within the international community.