Ráday Salon

Budapest Pride 2009

Yesterday, Linda marched in the Budapest Pride parade with Amnesty International Hungary -- see more photos.

Whoopi Goldberg's message to Hungary in support of Budapest Pride 2009

This week is Pride week in Budapest. The festival hosts film screenings and discussions during the week and will culminate in a march this Saturday. For more information on events, check out the Budapest Pride 2009 website. (Link goes to English version, but a Hungarian version is also available - just look for the Hungarian flag.)

Although the Budapest Pride march was once a fun-filled event, in the last two years it has become the focus of violent extremists, and will be carried on this year (as last year) under heavy police protection. To learn more about the history of the Pride march, and to see videos of attacks on last year's pride march, click the "continue reading" link below.

Supporting Iranian demonstrators in Budapest

On Friday, June 19, Linda and Michael joined some of our friends in a demonstration organized by Iranian students in Budapest to show support for those protesting the recent election in Iran.  The Budapest demonstration took place at Heroes' Square -- a quiet gathering with photos and signs and folk songs.

Click for more photos.

Amnesty International Hungary calls for an end to the death penalty and justice for Troy Davis

On Tuesday, May 19, Amnesty International Hungary activists joined in a Global Day of Action in support of Troy Davis, an African-American man who was sentenced to death for the 1989 murder of a police officer in the United States, despite strong evidence suggesting he is innocent. Carrying signs and wearing pictures of Troy Davis on their white t-shirts, the AI-HU activists led a “Solidarity Walk” through downtown Budapest, from Vorosmarty Square to the US Embassy. They handed out flyers (Eng - Hun) information sheets (Eng - Hun) to passers-by, and paused near the Godor Klub at Deak ter, and in Szent Istvan ter in front of Szent Istvan Basilica, to reach out to as many people as possible. In Szabadsag ter, as the activists assembled in view of the US Embassy, representatives from several news outlets, including Duna TV, Magyar Nemzet, and Hungarian news agency MTI, were on hand to report the story. Duna TV report on Budapest Troy Davis Solidarity Walk

The Global Day of Action mobilized worldwide opposition to the death penalty in support of Davis, whose case is a particularly egregious example of the inherent injustice of the death penalty. There are several serious and fundamental flaws in his case. No murder weapon or direct evidence was ever found connecting Davis to the murder. Many of the “witnesses” at the original trial have since recanted, saying that police pressured them to implicate Davis. Several witnesses have also implicated another man. Nevertheless, throughout Troy Davis’ long battle to fight his conviction, the courts have focused mainly on procedural issues, while important evidence that he is actually innocent of the crime has not been examined.

With their action, the AI-HU activists added their voices to those of thousands of others, from Argentina to Uganda, as well as all 50 US states, united in their opposition to the death penalty, and calling on the US to deliver justice for Troy Davis.

View more photos of the event (click any photo for a slide show).

To learn more about Troy Davis’ case, visit some of the links below:

• Amnesty International US Global Day of Action press release
• “Where Is The Justice For Me”: Amnesty International report
• Amnesty International death penalty issue page

Also check out the Amnesty International Hungary activism blog (Hungarian – English)

Special thanks to JD for the excellent photos!