A Hungarian journalist with ties to the right-wing government has advocated for a “final solution” to the Roma living in Hungary, reflecting a rise of ultra-conservative nationalism in Eastern and Central Europe.

In an article published last week in the far-right wing newspaper Magyar Hirlap, commentator Zsolt Bayer unleashed a tirade against the Roma — the preferred term for “gypsies” — for their suspected involvement in a bar fight. The rant borders on the genocidal given the language used, made all the more horrific due to the connection Bayer shares with the Prime Minister of Hungary:

A significant part of the Roma are unfit for coexistence. They are not fit to live among people. These Roma are animals, and they behave like animals. When they meet with resistance, they commit murder. They are incapable of human communication. Inarticulate sounds pour out of their bestial skulls. At the same time, these Gypsies understand how to exploit the ‘achievements’ of the idiotic Western world. But one must retaliate rather than tolerate. These animals shouldn’t be allowed to exist. In no way. That needs to be solved — immediately and regardless of the method.

The Roma, who were among the many targets of the Holocaust in 1940s Germany, make up approximately seven percent of Hungary’s total population and are the frequent target of attacks by vigilantes enforcing “public order.” While right-wing parties have made a stir for xenophobic and anti-Semitic language recently, including a politician in the third-strongest party calling for a “list of Jews,” the proximity of Bayer to power makes his comments all the more stunning.

Bayer was one of the founding members of the ruling Fidesz Party, which has over the last year consolidated power in the hands of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. While some members of the party have condemned Bayer’s statements, including Justice Minister Tibor Navracsics, the odds that Bayer will be prosecuted for incitement or expelled from the party for his statements are slim. Though he holds no official role in the government, Bayer was one of the organizers of the “Peace March” in Jan. 2012 that showed support for Orbán’s government amid European Union protestations that Hungary’s new Constitution violated E.U. treaties.

The unwillingness of Fidesz to officially criticize Bayer reflects the growing prominence of far-right wing parties in European politics during a time of economic downturn. The Golden Dawn party in Greece has made a name for itself — and increased its standing in the polls to enter Parliament for the first time — by railing against foreigners amid Greece’s lengthy depression.

The European Commission published its annual report on the performance of newly minted and aspiring members of the European Union on Wednesday. Notable among the findings — often seen as a road map for prospective members to follow — was the view that Turkey has not yet met the civil rights requirements to join, particularly regarding press freedom issues.

The report chided Turkey for a “lack of substantial progress” in ensuring the “right to liberty and security and a fair trial, as well as of the freedom of expression, assembly and association.” The unwritten threat: if Turkey does not secure these bare minimum social freedoms, it will have little hope of joining the EU. But perhaps that is what Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has in mind. While Erdogan said it was his goal to midwife Turkey’s ascension to the EU when he came to power in 2002, he has since turned away from the West amid the European financial crisis and European skepticism about a majority Muslim nation joining the bloc.

Turkey’s minister of EU relations, Egemen Bagis, responded to the news, claiming the EC’s report placed “too much emphasis was placed on isolated incidents.” Yet history indicates that such rights violations, especially in the realm of press freedoms, are far from isolated. It is estimated that around 100 journalists are currently imprisoned, held on suspicions ranging from conspiring against the government to being aligned with the Kurdish separatist and terrorist group PKK.

One of the most highly-publicized cases was that of Ahmet Şık and Nedim Şener, who were held for more than a year until their release in March. They were accused with being affiliated with the so-called Ergenekon plot — a shadowy group allegedly aimed at overthrowing the government — but lack of evidence, and severe domestic and internal pressure led to their release. But the Turkish government’s war on journalists didn’t start and end with the Şık and Şener cases, as past arrests of journalists in Turkey have been just as suspicious.

But other reporters rounded up in the Ergenekon case have been left to languish in prison. Forty Kurdish-affiliated reporters were put on trial Monday in the biggest case of its kind.

A recent report from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace notes that the “overall diagnosis” on press freedom in Turkey is “rather bleak” with “more negative than positive developments.”

– Nate Niemann

With negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program moving to Moscow next week, a draft letter to be circulated among Senators for signature calls on the Obama administration to not offer Iran major concessions without a comprehensive deal on its nuclear program. The draft letter, obtained by ThinkProgress, says that, should the Iranians not take certain steps demanded by the Senators, the U.S. should “reevaluate the utility of further talks.”

Authored by Sens. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Roy Blunt (R-MO), the draft letter outlines the “absolute minimum steps” Iran must take in Moscow: shutting down its Fordow enrichment facility, ending enrichment of uranium to high levels, and shipping out its stockpile of high-enriched uranium. The letter says that Iran’s agreement to these steps would “justify continued discussions,” but doesn’t outline any other possible concessions.

While that leaves the door open for other possible lesser concessions, the Senators rule out acceding to a key Iranian goal until Iran agrees to the full spectrum of Western and U.N. demands. The New York Times reported that, in Baghdad, Iran asked for “an easing of the onerous economic sanctions imposed by the West,” something the Iranians have “relentlessly” pursued. But the Senators refuse to consider such steps without a comprehensive deal. In the draft letter, they write:

Barring full, verifiable Iranian compliance with all Security Council resolutions and full cooperation with the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency], including a new, far more intrusive inspections regime under the additional protocol, we see no circumstances under which Iran should be relieved from the current sanctions or those scheduled to come into effect at the end of this month.

That restriction could, in effect, stymie moves toward a “confidence-building” deal. A deal identical to the one mentioned by the Senators — demanding the “absolute minimum steps” but offering little sanctions relief — was on the table in Baghdad. After it failed to advance, an Iranian diplomat told the Christian Science Monitor that Iran would not “accept these things this way.”

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