UN human rights chief stands by criticism of Hungary leader

The U. N. human rights chief is standing by every single word of criticism against Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, after calling him a racist and xenophobe last month. Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein is also rejecting a demand by Orban's foreign minister for his resignation, and on Tuesday called the Hungarian leader a bully. Zeid said "the stoking of hatred for political profit ... is Viktor Orban's stock in trade," adding that Orban's "racial rhetoric is increasingly delusional. " The dispute began Feb. 26 when Zeid, at a meeting of the U. N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, quoted Orban's comments that Hungarians don't want their "own color, traditions and national culture to be mixed by others. " Zeid won't seek a new four-year term when his current one expires in August.