Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó has said that the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has become unfit to fill any kind of post within the UN. Mr. Szijjártó was responding to a statement by the High Commissioner in which he criticised “populist” politicians.

The Minister was reacting to statements made by Prince Zeid Ra’ad Al-Hussein at the opening of the Peace, Justice and Security Foundation gala in The Hague on Monday evening. The High Commissioner criticised politicians whom he regards as being populist – especially the leader of the Dutch Freedom Party (PVV) Geert Wilders. Mr. Al-Hussein also compared Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to Wilders. He declared that he is angry at “Mr. Wilders’ lies and half-truths, manipulations and peddling of fear”. The Jordanian Prince said that there are similarities between the Dutch politician and U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, Viktor Orbán, the leader of the French National Front Marine le Pen, Czech head of state Milos Zeman, Austrian Freedom Party presidential candidate Norbert Hofer and Nigel Farage, former leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party, and one of the most outspoken British proponents of Brexit. The High Commissioner said that he feels the tactics of these politicians are shared with Islamic State.

In a statement issued to Hungarian news agency MTI on Tuesday, Mr. Szijjártó wrote: “Although the High Commissioner stated that he is angered by half-truths, lies and manipulation, these are exactly the words which best describe both him and his statements”.

The Hungarian foreign minister said it is unacceptable and outrageous that a UN bureaucrat should compare a democratically elected European politician with the ideology of Islamic State.

Mr. Szijjártó said that “With this statement Zeid Ra’ad Al-Hussein has proved himself completely unfit to fill any position within the United Nations, and his activities and his similar statements have completely demolished the credibility and authority of the position of the High Commissioner for Human Rights”.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade)