„On the 20th of November, on behalf of the Hungarian Government, H.E. Ambassador Zsuzsanna Horváth addressed participants of the 13th session of the Forum on Minority Issues. In her statement Ambassador Horváth emphasized that Hungary is resolutely committed in line with the pertaining international standards to protecting and promoting the human rights of minorities, including national, ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, and urged all relevant stakeholders – with a particular emphasis on state actors – in this respect to take appropriate action against any forms of hate speech or advocacy of hatred which might constitute incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence.
The Forum has taken place ont he 19th and 20th of November, and its outcome will serve as an input to the Speacial Rapporteur on Minority Issues which will be presented at the upcoming 46th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Read the full statement below.”
Mme Chair,
Hungary notes with appreciation that – as outlined in his inauguration speech in 2017, as well as in his first report to the UN Human Rights Council in March 2018 – Dr Fernand de Varennes, Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues has identified “the critical challenges of tackling hate speech, xenophobic rhetoric and incitement to hatred against minorities” as one of the thematic priorities of his mandate, and welcomes that a thematic report, providing a detailed analysis and highlight the issue of “hate speech, social media and minorities”, will be presented at the next Session of the HRC.
We welcome in this regard the objective of the Thirteenth Session of the Forum on Minority Issues to provide a platform for dialogue and cooperation on the interconnection of the topics mentioned above.
Hungary is resolutely committed in line with the pertaining international standards to protecting and promoting the human rights of minorities, including national, ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, and urges all relevant stakeholders (with a particular emphasis on state actors) in this respect to take appropriate action against any forms of hate speech or advocacy of hatred which might constitute incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence.
International instruments contain provisions on different types of expressions that would be considered as constituting hate speech, but it would also be pertinent to elaborate legally binding instruments on combating hate speech, in line with the existing strategies and recommendations adopted by United Nations, as well as the Council of Europe or the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
In the framework of the Council of Europe, for instance, ‘Recommendation No. (97) 20 on hate speech’ highlights that “the governments of the member states should establish or maintain a sound legal framework consisting of civil, criminal and administrative law provisions on hate speech which enable administrative and judicial authorities to reconcile in each case respect for freedom of expression with respect for human dignity and the protection of the reputation or the rights of others”.
The Tallinn Guidelines on National Minorities and the Media in the Digital Age adopted by the High Commissioner on National Minorities of the OSCE in 2019 highlight state actors’ important role and responsibility in combatting hate speech, stating that they „should refrain from disseminating, supporting or endorsing in any way disinformation, propaganda or inflammatory discourse which aim to, or are likely to […] generate hostility towards particular groups, including national minorities.”
Mme Chair,
Hate speech is a manifestation of discrimination that may lead to other serious human rights violations towards social groups that undermines the respect of minority groups and damages social cohesion and the securitization of minority issues.
Given the fact that the use of hate speech appears to be increasing, especially through electronic forms of communication, it is of utmost importance that relevant stakeholders at national, international as well as expert level extend their efforts to adequately respond to the challenge.
I thank you.