A/HRC/58/49/Add.1 Annex Report of the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Nazila Ghanea, on her visit to Hungary I. Introduction 1. In the present report, the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Nazila Ghanea, presents the findings from her official visit to Hungary from 7-17 October 2024. This was the mandate’s first visit to Hungary, carried out at the invitation of the Government pursuant to Human Rights resolution 49/5. The main purpose of the visit was to assess freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief in Hungary in light of its international human rights obligations, identify existing and emerging obstacles to the enjoyment of this right, and offering recommendations to address them. 2. The Special Rapporteur appreciated constructive meetings held with government officials, including the State Secretary and Deputy State Secretary for Relations with Churches and National Minorites, the State Secretary for the Aid to Persecuted Christians, the Deputy State Secretary for Civil Society, representatives from the Department for Church Relations and representatives of the Ministry of Interior, including the Deputy State Secretary for Social Affairs and representatives of the National Council for Crime Prevention, the National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing, the National Police, the Prison Service, the National Directorate of Hospitals and the Hungarian Educational Authority. She also met the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Judges at the Supreme Court (Curia) and at the Constitutional Court as well as prosecutors. In addition, she met the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights of Hungary as well as the Deputy Mayor of Debrecen and representatives of the Office of the Mayor of Budapest. 3. During her visit, the Special Rapporteur also met a wide range of civil society organisation (CSO) actors: NGOs; academics and writers; and representatives, leaders and representatives of religious and belief organizations and communities, other faith-based actors, and some members of the diplomatic community. 4. The Special Rapporteur commends Hungary for maintaining a standing invitation to the Special Procedures since 2001.1 She is grateful to the Government for accepting her visit request, and to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their cooperation. She extends her appreciation to all civil society actors that she met during and in connection with the visit for their insights and candid discussions. II. Political and historical context 5. Hungary is a landlocked central European country bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia. Hungary occupies most of the Pannonian (or Carpathian) Basin - a fertile, flat region encircled by the Alps to the West and South, the Carpathians to the North and East, and the Balkan Mountains to the South. This unique geography has shaped Hungary’s history and current reality. 6. Hungary is divided into 19 counties. The capital, Budapest, is an independent administrative region with a population of 1.75 million, some 33% of Hungary’s population of 9.6 million (2022 national census). 73% of Hungary’s population live in urban areas. The next largest cities are Debrecen (204,000), Miskolc (172,000), and Szeged (164,000 inhabitants). Hungary’s population is decreasing and ageing at a high rate; its population growth of -0.28 per cent ranks 212th (out of 236) globally, with low birth rates, emigration, and the stance on immigration. 1 2 Eight mandate holders have visited, most recently the Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression.