Hungary urges EU sanctions on Ukrainian military officials over alleged conscription abuses
Budapest: Hungary has formally proposed that the European Union (EU) place three senior Ukrainian military officials on its sanctions list in response to alleged abuses linked to violent conscription practices in Ukraine, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto announced on Wednesday.
According to Szijjarto, the officials in question are responsible for overseeing conscription operations within Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence and armed forces. The Hungarian government’s move follows the reported death of an ethnic Hungarian man, identified as Jozsef S., during a conscription incident in Ukraine’s Transcarpathia region in early July.
Szijjarto cited a recent Council of Europe human rights report as confirmation of what he described as “a manhunt taking place on the streets of Ukraine,” claiming that individuals refusing to enlist have been beaten or tortured.
“The way Ukrainian forced conscription units treat people is shocking, and equally shocking is how European political leaders look the other way in the face of this unacceptable situation,” he said.
The Hungarian government summoned Ukraine’s Ambassador in Budapest last week following the reported death of the ethnic Hungarian man, Xinhua news agency reported. According to a separate statement by Levente Magyar, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the man was allegedly captured during a forced conscription operation, beaten with a metal rod, and later died from his injuries.
Szijjarto said that numerous videos documenting such incidents have surfaced in recent months.
Hungarian officials, including Prime Minister Viktor Orban, have expressed condolences to the victim’s family.
Hungary has blocked the start of European Union accession talks with Ukraine, citing minority rights concerns and security risks. The Hungarian government has repeatedly criticised what it describes as discriminatory policies against the ethnic Hungarian community in Transcarpathia. –IANS