Category: News

The validity of temporary protection (menedékes) cards is automatically extended until 4 March 2024.

The Hungarian government first acquired excessive emergency powers with a view to the pandemic in the spring of 2020: it declared a “state of danger” (veszélyhelyzet), a special legal order regime, while the governing majority … Read more

On 18 January, the Hungarian government published and submitted for public consultation a draft law on the judiciary. The amendments are essential to fulfil the so-called super milestones set by the EU, linked to the … Read more

The reduction of the overcrowding of Hungarian prisons is a legitimate aim, however it is yet to be seen how the necessary guarantees, such as access to quality legal aid, and interpretation, and the assessment of non-refoulement are secured for foreign detainees.

The CharterWise project by the Hungarian Helsinki Committee and the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union aims at bringing the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights from the attention periphery of the legal profession to the centre of … Read more

In 2021, the Hungarian Helsinki Committee launched its pilot course to support the social inclusion of foreigners and refugees living in Hungary. This is our film on the empowerment course. Please get in touch with … Read more

The legal changes proposed by the Hungarian government about the country’s judicial system do not meet the requirements set out in the respective super milestones by EU institutions in relation to Hungary’s Recovery and Resilience … Read more

Hungarian authorities are responsible for the death of a young Syrian man who drowned in the river Tisza at the Serbian-Hungarian border after police assaulted and pushed him back in 2016, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled today.

Safeguards against abuses when it comes to the restriction of the freedom of expression of Hungarian judges are still missing. This is also evidenced by new, intense smear campaigns launched in 2022 against critical judges, with government politicians joining the propaganda media. In their submission to the Council of Europe, Amnesty International Hungary and the Hungarian Helsinki Committee argue that this goes against the judgment delivered by the European Court of Human Rights over six years ago in the Baka v. Hungary case.

For the fourth year in a row, the Hungarian Helsinki Committee is contributing to the European Commission’s annual Rule of Law Report in coordination with other Hungarian human rights and anti-corruption CSOs. This year, Amnesty … Read more

Rule of law backsliding affects all policy areas and all areas of life, including the performance of law enforcement agencies and the criminal justice system. With a view to the stakeholder consultation regarding the European … Read more

Are you a lawyer, passionate about protecting fundamental rights across Europe, and eager to develop your skills and knowledge to unlock the power of the Charter of Fundamental Rights (the Charter)? If so, STARLIGHT is for you. 

The protection of refugees requires trained professionals, who know how to build and operate protection systems in line with international human rights obligations. Unfortunately, in most regions of the world refugee studies are not taught … Read more

On 7 December 2022, the Hungarian Parliament amended the infamous Stop Soros law in a last-minute amendment that was introduced through a parliamentary supercommittee to an unrelated omnibus bill. The changes will enter into force … Read more

The Hungarian state violated the human rights of three Syrian refugees – the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) declared on December 15. The Hungarian authorities expelled them without properly examining their asylum applications or … Read more

Reacting to the decision of the Council of the EU to suspend EU funds to Hungary for systemic rule of law breaches, the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, K-Monitor and Transparency International Hungary call on the Hungarian government to ensure full compliance with rule of law standards to enable the entire Hungarian society to benefit from EU funds.

Three recent high-profile corruption cases clearly show that an independent judiciary is essential to fight corruption and eliminate risks for the EU budget, and arbitrary and uncontrolled court management powers are not only a theoretical … Read more

The Hungarian Helsinki Committee reached a milestone in our litigation struggle against Hungary’s indiscriminate and violent push-back policy applied at the Serbian-Hungarian border. In September 2022, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that it violates the prohibition of collective expulsions and the right to remedy. This is our second victory in Strasbourg concerning this unlawful practice, and it gives us hope for several similar pending cases – and reaching systemic change in this unfair policy.

In 2018, the government propaganda outlet Figyelő published a blacklist of 200 members of civil society and academia – including the Hungarian Helsinki Committee staff –, calling them “Soros mercenaries”. It took years to have … Read more

The Court of Justice of the European Union confirmed that a common Hungarian practice is not only cruel but unlawful: Hungarian legislation provides that authorities can withdraw international protection further to a danger to national security without providing the grounds of the decision to the person concerned or their legal representative. In September 2022, the Luxembourg court judged in favour of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee’s client. The judgement clarified that refugees have the right to know why the authorities denied them international protection.