Stand up for the Rule of Law: Amnesty meet-up 27 November

Amnesty meet-up + drinks for students ‘Authoritarianism and Illiberalism on the Rise’
27 November
17.00-19.30
Roeterseilandcampus REC A3.15 Nieuwe Achtergracht 166, 1018 WD Amsterdam

Not a victim anymore

My name is András, I was born in Budapest and I moved to Amsterdam in 2017 to study at the University of Amsterdam. I have been really worried about the legal and political developments in Hungary since the landslide electoral victory of Viktor Orbán in 2010 and was feeling powerless to do something about it, but in Amsterdam I got to meet many inspiring people from all over the world, who did not give up fighting for their values and beliefs. I stopped seeing myself as a victim of the Hungarian regime and started thinking of how I could take action. I feel lucky that I got the opportunity to support the Rule of Law Programme of Amnesty International as a volunteer. The concept of “the rule of law” can be hard to grasp and that is why it is important that NGOs such as Amnesty and universities make the subject matter more concrete. After all, the rule of law affects us all in our every-day lives. Looking at the activists in Hong Kong for example, I feel we do not value our freedoms enough.

Get empowered!

Hungary and Poland are part of the European Union and are strongly connected to Western democracies, such as the Netherlands. And what happens in Poland and Hungarian could happen anywhere. It is very important to be empowered to fight for the rule of law regardless of your nationality. That is why I encourage everyone to attend the Rule of Law Meet-Up of Amnesty International, European Horizons and Study Association for European Studies on 27 of November at the Roeterseiland Campus of the University of Amsterdam. Júlia Iván (former director of Amnesty Hungary and Programme Leader at Amnesty the Netherlands), Jenne Jan Holtland (Correspondent for de Volksrant) and Michiel Luining (University of Leiden) will answer all your questions and give tips and tricks on what you can do for the rule of law. What’s more, you get a chance to try out our new Rule of Law House of Cards Game and we’ll have drinks afterwards.

So see you all on Wednesday!

If you want to learn more about the issues in Hungary and Poland or the establishment and operation of illiberal democracies have a look at Amnesty`s strategic studies