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“Depriving trans and intersex people of legal gender recognition in Hungary is intolerable”, says General Rapporteur

The Hungarian Parliament
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“The Hungarian Parliament’s enactment this week of a law designed to prevent trans and intersex people from obtaining legal recognition of their gender identity is a flagrant breach of human rights,” declared PACE General Rapporteur on the rights of LGBTI people, Fourat Ben Chikha (Belgium, SOC), today. “Enacting such measures in the midst of a pandemic that is already exacerbating the marginalisation of trans and intersex people in Hungarian society is even more unacceptable.”

“For trans people, identity documents corresponding to their gender identity are crucial. Without such documents, trans people are exposed to harassment and discrimination in all fields of daily life – their human rights are violated every time they are required to produce ID, no matter how important or minor the transaction. Some intersex people face the same issues,” he underlined.

“Hungary’s new law is deeply harmful, stands in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights, and must not be allowed to come into effect. The relevant provisions must urgently be referred to the Constitutional Court for review, before they enter into force. I also call on the Hungary’s Commissioner for Fundamental Rights to take all the steps within their power to protect trans and intersex people from the devastating impact this law may have on their rights and lives,” he concluded.