Helsinki File: Transit zone

On 15 March, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) again had to issue an emergency decision and order the Hungarian government to give food to migrants in detention in the transit zone at the … Read more

This research explores how Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary and Italy undermine the right to liberty of asylum seekers upon entry. Besides thoroughly documenting the worrisome trend towards de facto detention, it provides EU organs with the … Read more

The Hungarian Immigration and Asylum Office (IAO) ignored the instructions of domestic courts regarding the placement of applicants in facilities other than the transit zones on several occasions. The IAO also continues its practice of … Read more

The Hungarian Helsinki Committee gave oral and written statements on the situation in Hungary at the 2018 Human Dimension Implementation Meeting (HDIM) of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). On 12 September … Read more

We put together a short document with a list of HHC publications related to key changes in the Hungarian asylum system since 2015 so that you can find the explanation of every major step easily, … Read more

Budapest, 23 August 2018 After two weeks, all asylum seekers in the transit zones are now receiving food as a result of the intervention of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee (HHC). The HHC had to request … Read more

A new inadmissibility ground, a hybrid of the concepts of safe third country and first country of asylum, is in effect since 1 July 2018. The new provision stems from amendments to the Asylum Act … Read more

On 18 April 2018 at 09:15 am CET, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) held an open hearing in the case of Ilias and Ahmed v. Hungary. It concerned the detention … Read more

The HHC’s brief statistical report about the key asylum figures for 2017 is available online here.

  The objective of the Red Line detention project (2017-2019) was to document and raise awareness of how EU states’ border “reception” procedures are increasingly used for the detention of asylum seekers. The project received … Read more

The HHC’s new Information Note summarizes the changes that took place since Fall 2015 in the field of asylum and shows how these changes have erected, step-by-step, a new wall around Hungary.

The HHC’s brief statistical report about the key asylum figures is available online here.

Since 28 March 2017 all asylum-seekers, with the only exception of unaccompanied minors under 14, are held in the closed transit zones for the entirety of their asylum procedure. That placement in the transit zone … Read more

The HHC’s brief statistical report about the key asylum figures is available online here.

The HHC’s brief statistical report about the key asylum figures is available online here.

The HHC’s brief statistical report about the key asylum figures is available online here.

The Hungarian Helsinki Committee’s information update provides an overview of the interim measures granted by the European Court of Human Rights or the United Nations Human Rights Committee in applications against Hungary between January and … Read more

Fifty days after the latest legal changes entered into force on 28 March 2017, it transpires that the Hungarian asylum system has been reduced to the bare minimum through legislative and administrative measures. The HHC’s … Read more

The HHC’s brief statistical report about the key asylum figures is available online here.

The HHC’s brief statistical report about the key asylum figures is available online here.