Dear Secretaries Tillerson and Mnuchin,
As an Institute dedicated to the universal promotion of human rights and the fight against corruption, we commend you for your commitment to implementing the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act (PL 114-328, Subtitle F), which authorizes the President to impose financial sanctions and visa restrictions on foreign persons in response to certain human rights violations and acts of significant corruption. We have been pleased to see President Donald J. Trump pledge in April 2017, that his administration will engage in “Robust and thorough enforcement” of the Act, and that he intends for his administration to “fulfill our commitment to hold perpetrators of human rights abuses and corruption accountable.”
“Global Magnitsky” is a potentially groundbreaking legal weapon. It allows the United States of America to sanction the worst human rights violators and corrupt individuals across the globe. Moreover, this Act also states unequivocally that, as far as the United States of America is concerned, accountability for political and private gangsterism knows no borders. Finally, uncompromising implementation of the Act has the potential to deter any present and future kleptocrats and those who use and would contemplate to employ violence to silence dissent in order to perpetuate their power, forcing these deplorable individuals to think twice before committing their criminal acts. In conclusion, this Act is a shining example that the United States of America intends to lead the rest of the world in eradicating gross violations of human rights and theft of public and private assets worldwide.
Yet, the great promise of the Act will only be realized if the American government turns its provisions into real actions. With this conviction in mind, we, the leaders of the Frontiers of Freedom Institute, have endeavored to compile and document cases from Hungary that we
believe satisfy the Act’s strictest requirements, which in turn, deserve the most rigorous investigation by the American government. We are pleased to provide your departments with case files as summarized in the appended annex.
Throughout our own investigative process, our objective has been to gather and organize pertinent evidence in a manner that we believe will assist your staffs in making timely, meaningful, fact based, and objective designations. Evidence in each case that we have assembled combines credible reporting from international and local non-governmental organizations with our own publications, and writings from investigative journalists, and personal accounts of individuals affected.
Since the national elections of 2010, when the Alliance of Young Democrats (Hungarian acronyms: FIDESZ) has succeeded to garner two thirds of the seats in the Parliament, Hungary has become increasingly a rogue state. Democracy has been replaced by “illiberal democracy”, meaning the personal cult of its Prime Minister, Viktor Orban. The system of checks and balances has gradually disappeared. The rule of law has become non-existent too. It has been replaced by FIDESZ appointed subservient judges, including a Supreme Court that consists of justices whose only qualification is their absolute allegiance to Viktor Orban. The Chief Prosecutor’s office is occupied by a jurist by the name of Peter Polt whose sole responsibility is to block any prosecution of Viktor Orban, his family, and members of his inner circle for a variety of egregious criminal offenses, and conduct sham investigations against individuals in opposition to the Prime Minister and his party. Economic freedoms also have fallen to the “pay to play” mentality that has introduced absolute corruption in every sphere of the Hungarian economy. Today, there is no democracy, there is no rule of law, and there is no free market economy in Hungary.
Human rights of Hungarian citizens and non-citizens have been violated regularly on a daily basis. Articles in the local as well as international press, exhaustive report in the domestic and foreign media have laid bare the extent of lawlessness and corruption in Hungary.
Even more alarming is the fact that Viktor Orban and his administration have set about to destroy the unity of the European Union and NATO, in order to please Russia and its President Vladimir Putin. The expansion of the country’s only nuclear power plant in Paks, designated as Paks 2, was awarded without a public tender to Rosatom under false pretenses. The overly quick signing of the agreements, which were made top secret by the Orban administration, has given rise to serious speculations inside Hungary and across the globe about the possible political corruption surrounding the entire deal.
For all these reason, the United States of America, as the leading power of the world, must take appropriate actions immediately to prevent further damage to the security of both alliances, Hungary as a member state of NATO, and the European Union. Moreover, in the case of the European Union, the political and economic well being of the entire organization will be in jeopardy. At stake are the fundamental principles and the basic value systems that we and our allies all over the world have cherished, have fought for, and have been determined to uphold.
The most important individuals who for the last eight years have perpetrated acts of human rights violations by having been instrumental in passing laws and regulations against the liberty of Hungarians and non-Hungarians alike, and having participated in and/or having benefited of corrupt actions and practices are:
Viktor Orban, Prime Minister of Hungary;
Janos Lazar, Minister in Charge of the Prime Minister’s Office;
Antal Rogan, Minister in Charge for the Prime Minister’s Cabinet Office;
Peter Polt, Chief Prosecutor of Hungary;
Gyorgy Matolcsy, Chairman of the National Bank of Hungary;
Gyozo Orban, Father of Viktor Orban;
Levai Aniko, Wife of Viktor Orban;
Lorinc Meszaros, Mayor of Felcsut;
Istvan Tiborcz, Son in Law of Viktor Orban.
As the information in the annexed materials demonstrate, the evidence of human rights violations and extreme corruption of these individuals are aptly proven by countless Hungarian and international sources.
Sincerely,
Dr. Miklos K. Radvanyi, Vice President, Frontiers of Freedom
Appendix to the Letter to Secretaries Tillerson and Mnuchin
https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/04/27/eu-finally-steps-hungarys-rights-crisis
https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/04/04/hungary-law-threatens-independent-universities
https://www.hrw.org/report/2013/05/16/wrong-direction-rights/assessing-impact-hungarys-new-constitution-and-laws
https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/03/07/hungary-draft-law-tramples-asylum-seekers-rights
https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/04/11/mass-protests-fail-curb-hungarys-crackdowns
https://www.org/print/302917
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/eu-fraud-probe-zeroes-hungary-pms-son-law-180839602.html
https://www.jobbik.comgabor_vona_hungary_must_be_protected_from_viktor_orban_and_his_obsessions
https://budapestbeacon.com/central-bank-governer-gyorgy-matolcsy-enriched-taxpayer-expense-part-ii/
http://hvg.hu/gazdasag/20180221_transparency_international_korrupcio2017/nyomtatas
http://nepszava.hu/cikk/1153158-maffiaallam-iranyitotta-patyomkin-orszag-elindult-a-kampany-fotok?print=1
http://hungarianspectrum.org/tag/aniko-levai/
The Orbán government’s corruption unveiled by investigative journalists
http://hungarianspectrum.org/tag/olaf/
https://444.hu/2018/02/12/vilaghiru-lett-tiborcz-Istvan-aki-unios-pe…ol-gyanus-modon-gazdagodott-mikozben-az-aposa-brusszel-ellen-harcolt
http://nepszava.hu/cikk/1152614-felgongyolithette-az-olaf-az-elios-projektek-kapcsolati-halojat?prin=1
http://hvg.hu/gazdasag201803_szekhazeladasi_botrany_anoo_fideszgazdasag_osbun_partmutyi/nyomtatas
https://www.nytimes.com?2018/02/10/world/europe/hungary-orban-democracy-far-right.html
http://nepszva.hu/cikk/1145998-vertes-andras-husz-evvel-ezelotti-szinten-allunk?print=1
http://nepszava.hu/cikk/1147495-orbanek-nehez-napja-brusszelben?print=1
https://zsurpubi.hu/cikk/3859-egy-diktator-jellemzese—ujabb-bizonyitek-hogy-orban-bukni-fog/
https://nepszava.hu/cikk/1152207-olaf-jelentes—a-kormany-segitett-a-tiborcz-cegnek-a-csalasban?print=1
http://nepszava.hu/cikk/1151345-orosz-bunozok-hada-kaphatott-allampolgarsagot?print=1
Hungary’s Dangerous Constitution (Columbia Journal of Transnational Law)
Orban’s Oligarchs (Financial Times) 12/22/2017
http://nepszva.hu/cikk/1151791-abortonbe-kerules-a-tet-a-fidesz-politikusai-szamara?print=1
https://www.newstateman.com/world/europe/2017/08/hungary-eus-first-rogue-state-viktor-orban-and-long-march-freedom
http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/10/16/viktor-orban-wades-into-dark-waters-eu-hungary-refugee-crisis-europe-jobbik/
https://www.politico-eu.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.politico.ey/article/hungary-on-offensive-against-european-parliament-probe/amp/
http://nepszava.hu/cikk/1151410-ujabb-into-afidesznek?print=1
http://nepszava.hu/cikk/1150389-magyarorszag-az-elen—mintaz-unio-legkevesbe-demokratikus-allama?print=1
https://ujnepszabadsag.blog/2017/12/12/korrupciogyanus-microsoft-partnerek-es-a-kormanyzat-uzletkotese/amp/
Bell calls corruption a “serious concern” in Hungary (The Budapest Business Journal) 5/18/2016
https://hrtv.hu/ahirtvhirei/a-volt-jegybankelnok-szerint-uj-dimenzioba-lepett-a-korrupcio-2432792
The new press and media act in Hungary (IFLA)
Az Orban cslad kozelebe er a szoftverbotrany (Nepszava) 12/14/2017
Microsoft had enough: Heads rolled (Hungarian Spectrum) 12/30/2017
https:/24.hu/kozelet/2017/12/12/az-amerikai-microsoft-lecsapott-felmondtak-a-magyar-allami-sallitoknak/
Nikolaj Nielsen, Croatia and Hungary are “new face of corruption” Brussels January 25, 2017
http://hvg.hu/itthon/20171128_simicska_orban-mafiaallamot-epitett?