First International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief

Hungary reaffirms its stance on combating intolerance, discrimination and violence against people based on religion or belief, including against members of religious minorities and people who are not religious, on the first International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief, 22 August 2019.

We echo the statement by UN Human Rights experts that “religion or belief should never be used to justify discrimination. When faced with religious persecution or discrimination, victims are often also deprived of their right to participate fully in political, economic and cultural life, as well as their rights to education and to health. This can include the desecration and destruction of numerous cultural heritage sites of rich historic and religious value, such as places of worship and cemeteries.”

The Government of Hungary established the Hungary Helps Program in order to deliver Hungary’s assistance within a unified framework. It ensures the rapid and effective provision of assistance to persecuted Christians and victims of humanitarian catastrophes, and shall contribute to Hungary’s international efforts to eradicate the root causes of migration through direct local assistance. Based on the programs proposed by leaders of ecclesiastical communities, the provision of direct humanitarian aid to communities in need has begun, using the Government’s budgetary allocations. The geographical focus of the program is primarily on the Middle East and the Sub-Saharan region (Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Nigeria).

Thanks to the Hungarian humanitarian aid provided as part of the Hungary Helps Program, it has become clear to persecuted Christians in the Middle East that the world has not forgotten about them, they are not alone, as they can always count on Hungary. The government condemns the hypocritical double standards, and is not prepared to observe illegal migration and the ever wider spread of extreme Islamic terrorism quietly, in a conspiratorial manner.

Hungary has also reaffirmed its commitment to religious freedom and the protection of places of worship by joining the signatories of two statements of concern during the 2019 Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom, in Washington, D.C. The signatories recognized that religious communities of all traditions could be powerful, peaceful forces for good in the world. Therefore, all governments shall respect the individual’s human right to believe or not believe, to practice any faith tradition or none. The signatories stand together in condemning the systematic, ongoing, and egregious abuse of religious freedom perpetrated by terrorist and extremist groups. They also reiterated their commitment to the prevention of violence against places of worship by countering intolerance and discrimination, and to continue to support religious groups and other communities that have been subjected to terrorist and extremist violence, and to move swiftly to hold perpetrators accountable for their crimes.