The Guardian published the letter of Government Spokesperson Zoltán Kovács sent to the British national newspaper, in which he notes that the Guardian's article published on 29 April 2015 contains a number of serious inaccuracies and distortions regarding Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s recent statements about the death penalty and immigration.
Letter of Zoltán Kovács to the Guardian:
"Your article (Hungary PM: bring back death penalty and build work camps for immigrants, 29 April) contains a number of serious inaccuracies and distortions regarding Hungary’s prime minister Viktor Orbán’s recent statements about the death penalty and immigration. On the death penalty, the author writes that Mr Orbán “threatens to defy European Union law” and “threatened to reintroduce the death penalty”. He has not.
In fact, what the prime minister said – in response to a reporter’s question about the brutal murder recently of a young woman in a Hungarian town – was that in the face of a crime like this it seems that the current laws are not a sufficient deterrent.
His exact words were: “In my view, the question of the death penalty should be kept on the agenda.” He did not threaten to defy EU law but said that, in such circumstances, it should be a matter of discussion. As a democratically elected leader, he was speaking to the outrage of many Hungarian voters. That is called democratic discourse.
The government of Hungary respects the laws that are currently in force, our own constitutional prohibition on capital punishment and our commitments under EU law. On immigration, the author writes that the prime minister “recommends internment camps for illegal immigrants and states they should be forced to work”. Once again, he has not.
The government has launched a national consultation on the subject of immigration, with a questionnaire for every Hungarian citizen over the age of 18. This is not a policy document or a legislative proposal.
Among the questions, it asks whether “migrants illegally crossing the Hungarian border could be taken into custody” and whether “migrants themselves should cover the costs associated with their time in Hungary”. Nowhere does it say anything about “internment camps” or immigrants being “forced to work”.
It is clear that the author used a mistranslation of the questionnaire. All the more since the whole questionnaire is available in English at the government’s website (www.kormany.hu/en/prime-minister-s-office/news/national-consultation-on-immigration-to-begin)."