ABSTRACT
Minority rights have become an increasingly common feature of international law. If we consider the factors behind this development we can see that the adoption of these rights often reflects more the interests of the authorities rather than those of minority individuals and communities. Such a perspective enables us to understand why Hungary has been so keen to incorporate minority rights into its own domestic legislation. As well as enabling the country to fulfil its international obligations, Hungary’s Minorities Law provides a means of controlling minority political activity, in particular that of its Roma population.
