Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. Overview

According to the Hungarian information website Infoszab, the following is the headquarters and postal address for FRNO: 1081 Budapest, Szilágyi u. 5 (Infoszab 19 Feb. 2015). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

Further information on FRNO, its mandate and activities, as well as information about verification letters and letterhead, could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

2. Leadership

The December 2015 Infoszab listing for the organization lists Mr. Csóka Jánost as the Director (ibid. 8 Dec. 2015).

A description of FRNO found on the Infoszab website, dated 15 February 2015, identifies Lakatos László as the Director (ibid. 19 Feb. 2015). Hungarian media website Magyar Hirlap mentions in an August 2015 article that [translation] "the president of the [FRNO], László Lakatos of the [Roma organization] Lungo Drom unexpectedly resigned from his position" (Magyar Hirlap 17 Aug. 2015). In an article published on 17 August 2015, the Hungarian media website MNO stated that [translation] "[t]he organization … described Janos Csoka —who is the representative of the Roma Citizens Group [Roma Polgári Tömörülés] —as president" of the Capital City Roma Council (MNO 17 Aug. 2015).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within the time and translations constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Infoszab. 8 December 2015. "E-információszabadság oldalak." Excerpts translated by Translation Bureau, Public Works and Government Services Canada. [Accessed: 9 Dec. 2015]

_____. 19 February 2015. "E-információszabadság oldalak." Excerpts translated by Translation Bureau, Public Works and Government Services Canada. [Accessed: 3 Dec. 2015]

Magyar Hirlap. 17 August 2015. "Szocialista kötodésu elnököt választott a fovárosi cigány önkormányzat." Excerpts translated by Translation Bureau, Public Works and Government Services Canada. [Accessed: 9 Dec. 2015]

MNO. 17 August 2015. "Megbukott a roma önkormányzat elnöke." Excerpts translated by Translation Bureau, Public Works and Government Services Canada. [Accessed: 9 Dec. 2015]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Embassy of Canada in Budapest; European Roma Rights Centre; Legal Defense Bureau for National and Ethnic Minorities; Balkans and Eastern Europe Researcher, Human Rights Watch; head of the Roma program, Hungarian Civil Liberties Union; legal officer, Hungarian Helsinki Committee.

Internet sites, including: 444.hu; European Roma Rights Centre; Factiva; Hungarian Helsinki Committee; Human Rights Watch.