Hungary: Constitutional changes would grant the Executive sweeping counter-terrorism powers

On 26 April, the Hungarian government tabled a package of measures, including a “sixth amendment” to the Constitution (Magyarország Alaptörvénye, the Fundamental Law of Hungary) and to laws governing the police, national security services and defence forces, to streamline the process to call a state of emergency in the country. The package of measures, which would grant the Executive overly broad counter-terrorism powers with wide scope for restricting human rights, are under debate in the Hungarian Parliament this week. This statement sets out Amnesty International's concerns in relation to the proposed constitutional amendment and associated legislative package.