The Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (HCLU)
The Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (HCLU) is an independent, non-profit human rights watchdog NGO established in Budapest, Hungary in 1994. HCLU's aim is to promote the case of fundamental rights and principles laid down by the Constitution of the Republic of Hungary and by international conventions. Its goal is building and strengthening civil society and the rule of law in Hungary and the CEE region. Due to the increasing level of racism and the serial murders committed against Roma people, in 2009, the HCLU decided to launch a separate program to protect the rights of the Roma community. Since 2007 the HCLU has been using video advocacy more and more often, and has produced more than 200 short films since. http://www.tasz.hu
HCLU PRESENTS:
István Gábor Takács / Hungary / 2009 / 46 min / Hungarian
How can someone be accused of carrying 700 kg of wood on a bicycle? How can a case be dismissed as a false alarm when the whole street witnessed a gun being pointed at a pregnant woman? How can the parents of six children be put in prison because two of their children skip school? During the aftermath of the murders in Tatarszentgyorgy, Peter Juhasz and Bence Bekes began visiting villages around Ozd to support the Roma people living in the area. With advocacy tools provided by the HCLU, they joined in helping these communities advocate for themselves and fight discrimination more effectively. This film is the first stage of the project to document their work.