Category: News

In 2017, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Croatia illegally expelled an Afghan family seeking asylum with their many children. The victim on whom the judgment in the case was based was a six-year-old girl, Madina, who had died. Her tragic death is a disturbing example of a ruthless migration policy similar to the practice in Hungary. The Hungarian Helsinki Committee intervened in the Strasbourg proceedings in order to promote the cause of asylum-seeking victims.

According to the current state of affairs, one year after the elections – not including the Prime Minister – 31 of the 32 most important leaders of the state apparatus will be the same person as they are now. Even in the case of an opposition victory. In fact, having a two-third majority in Parliament, Fidesz can get even more of our public dignitaries cemented into their seats anytime until the elections in April, for an even longer period. With the Hungarian Helsinki Committee’s useful infographics, we can “look into the future”.

Ahead of the Hungarian parliamentary elections set for 3 April, twenty Hungarian civil society organisations are urging the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in a joint letter to deploy a full-scale election observation mission (EOM) to Hungary, with a high number of short-term observers on election day. 

As another sign of the country’s rule of law backsliding, Hungary has been failing to implement judgments of the Strasbourg and Luxembourg courts, and Hungarian authorities are repeatedly disregarding the judgments of the country’s own domestic courts as well. A new research paper by the Hungarian Helsinki Committee shows just how deep this phenomenon runs.

The Hungarian Helsinki Committee released its documentary film By the Power of the Force on its YouTube channel. The subject of the film is the largely unpunished mass police violence of 2006 and its aftermath. The film by civil rights activists shows that the domestic judiciary still fails to prevent, detect and punish police violence to this day.

Human Rights Activist and Amateur Painter
A Conversation Murad Sharifi

‘I try to paint the inspirations that affect me.’
A Conversation with Radwa Alnazer

Peace, Hope and Joy
A Conversation with Abouzar Soltani

Our new information update identifies five main points where Hungarian asylum legislation and practice regarding exclusion from international protection on national security grounds contradict EU law and jurisprudence. In summary: 1. The Hungarian law does … Read more

The story of Gáborné Nagy and her escape to Hungary from the Russian secret services was presented in detail in an article published by Eszter Neuberger in February 2021 on 444.hu. Now we talked to the client of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee about how her life and that of her family was affected by the fact that after 20 years the Hungarian authorities see her stay in the country as a risk to national security.

Following the Polish model, the Government wanted to use the Constitutional Court as a means of evading a Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) judgment that it did not like. However, in its … Read more

Civil society organisations sent a letter ahead of the General Affairs Council on 14 December when EU affairs ministers will hear from the European Commission on the latest developments and take stock of the situation regarding respect for EU values in Hungary and Poland as part of the Article 7 procedure.

Wednesday, 16 December 2021,16:00-18:00 (CET) – online In December 2021, the European Commission launched a public consultation for the 2022 edition of the Rule of Law Report. The Report monitors significant developments, both positive and … Read more

The Hungarian Helsinki Committee is working to support the social inclusion of refugees and migrants through their participation in a ten-session course.

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has delivered a major judgment on judicial independence. According to the CJEU, despite the fact that domestic law permits it, and that such a judgment has already been issued, only one forum can legally decide whether a Hungarian judge’s request for a preliminary ruling to the CJEU is inadmissible – and that is the CJEU itself. The Luxembourg-based Court also ruled that it was against EU law to discipline a national judge under domestic law because he had turned to the CJEU.

Defending the rule of law has been an important part of our work since 2010. Since the election of the current prime minister, the principle of the rule of law is increasingly undermined. Hungary faced successive restrictions on human rights and only a strong civil society can fight these developments – said Márta Pardavi, co-chair of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee on stage while receiving a cheque with the donations at the JUVE Awards gala in Frankfurt. At the annual event of German law firms 116,050 euros were donated to the human rights organization.

Today the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) found that the 2018 ‘Stop Soros’ law breaches EU law, after the European Commission took Hungary to court. The CJEU made it clear: threatening people … Read more

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled last December that the indiscriminate push-back of asylum-seekers to Serbia was in breach of EU law. However, the Government did not abandon the illegal practice, but instead responded with another violation: following the Polish model, it intends to use the Hungarian Constitutional Court as a means of evading the enforcement of a binding CJEU judgment.

The demonisation of migrants is the first step leading to the attacks against those showing solidarity with them.

Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, is being held accountable for illegally pushing back a Syrian family. The family was illegally deported to Turkey by Frontex in October 2016, shortly after arriving in Greece. It is the first time that Frontex through an action for damages is held responsible before the EU General Court for illegally deporting people and violating fundamental rights. Reports of similar pushbacks by Frontex have been piling up over the past years. The Syrian family is being represented by law firm Prakken D’Oliveira Human Rights Lawyers. Prakken D’Oliveira is supported by the Dutch Council for Refugees, BKB, Sea-Watch Legal Aid Fund and Jungle Minds.