Sure! Here’s the translation into American English:
This week, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) joined forces with EDRi and nearly 50 civil society organizations to urge European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and other senior EU officials to take immediate action to protect human rights in Hungary. This call is particularly urgent due to the upcoming Pride march in Budapest, an event that has been criminalized by the Hungarian government. The use of real-time facial recognition technology to identify participants raises serious concerns about the violation of fundamental rights, such as freedom of expression and assembly.
Since April 15, a new package of amendments has enabled the use of facial recognition in Hungary to identify protesters at demonstrations deemed ‘prohibited,’ including those related to the LGBTQ+ community. The penalties associated with these measures are severe, including disproportionate fines and the possibility of imprisonment, which contravenes the provisions of the EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act that prohibits facial recognition in protest contexts.
The legislative changes were fast-tracked by the Hungarian Parliament in March, with no public consultation. These decisions represent an explicit violation of the EU’s AI Act and the Charter of Fundamental Rights. Although many organizations have called on the European Commission to take precautionary measures to address these violations, they have yet to receive a response, which fuels growing concern.
The attack on the LGBTQ+ community in Hungary is viewed as an attack on the rights of all citizens in the country. In their letter, the organizations demand that infringement procedures be initiated for any new violations of EU legislation, particularly concerning Article 5 of the AI Act. They also insist that precautionary measures be implemented in light of the ongoing violation of the 2021 anti-LGBT law, which is being used as a legal basis to prohibit public gatherings related to the LGBTQIA+ community, such as the Pride march in Budapest.
It is undeniable that the European Commission has a responsibility to safeguard the fundamental rights of all citizens, including those in the LGBTQ+ community in Hungary and throughout the Union. This includes ensuring the safety and right to peaceful protest for those who wish to participate in the Pride march. If the Commission does not act swiftly to protect these rights, it risks undermining the fundamental values of the European Union.
Source: MiMub in Spanish
