Hungarian human and civil rights activist and politician. He was born in Miskolc in 1964. He is one of the main leaders of the Roma civil rights movement.
In 1987 he graduated as a teacher-and community organizer in Teacher Training College, Sárospatak. He started his civil rights work in 1988 when he became the head of the Anti-Ghetto Committee in Miskolc. From 1989 he was the local leader of the Phralipe Independent Roma organization in Miskolc.
He was the president of the Hungarian Roma Parliament from 1991-1994 and again from 2016. He got a mandate in the first freely elected Parliament from 1990 – 1994 as the member of the Alliance of Free Democrats – Hungarian Liberal Party (SZDSZ).
During his mandate he was the member of the Committee on Human Rights, Minority, and Religious Affairs beteween1990 and 1993. Afterwards he founded the Roma Civil Rights Foundation (1994) and was its leader until it was closed in 2010. As part of the Foundation he founded two other civil rights movement institution: Roma Press Center and Romaverstias (educational support program for Roma in higher education). Both are now functioning as independent civil organizations.
He was a social policy consultant of the Medgyesi Government (from 2002-2004) and of the Gyurcsány Government (2004-2006). For a short period of time (3 months) he became the president of the National Roma Self-Government in 2003.In 2013 he became the member and spokesman of the Hungarian Gypsy Party (MCP) but couldn’t get a mandate at the 2014 Parliamentary elections.