In 2020, the Hungarian government has continued to build its “illiberal state”, and has continued to erode the rule of law in Hungary in almost every area covered by the Article 7 procedure. Our paper presents the “illiberal highlights” that took place in Hungary in 2020.
Since, the European Commission has launched five asylum-related infringement procedures against Hungary, which were primarily based on the information and complaints submitted by the HHC and reflect the HHC’s position. You can find a list of … Read more
In 2020 we spent a lot of time at home. Since we are staring at the walls most of the time, why don’t we stare at a picture that represents the principles and values important … Read more
In its final judgment, the Metropolitan Court upheld the complaints against the police by the Labrisz Lesbian Association, Hungarian LGBT Association, Auróra Community Centre, the Marom Klub Kft. which operates Auróra, and eight individuals. The … Read more
The same night when the Government ordered measures to counter COVID-19, it also submitted three Bills to the Parliament, the 9th Amendment to the Fundamental Law among them, that have nothing to do with the fight against the pandemic. Instead, the Bills curtail the rights of the LGBTQI community, undermine the state’s transparency, and shrink the possibilities of opposition parties in future elections.
Access to territory and the asylum procedure continues to be a serious challenge for those arriving to the Serbian-Hungarian border and in need of protection. However, it is not only this aspect of the Hungarian … Read more
The new chief judge in Hungary: a potential transmission belt of the executive within the judiciary The election of the new President of the Kúria (the Supreme Court of Hungary) is the next stage in … Read more
Hungary has to change its laws and practice in many respects in order to prevent, investigate and sanction police ill-treatment more effectively, shows a decision published today by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
The Hungarian Government has failed to address in a satisfactory manner the concerns around the right to freedom of expression of Hungarian judges. Therefore, in its decision published today, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has not closed the supervision of the judgment delivered by the European Court of Human Rights in the Baka v. Hungary case, and requested the Hungarian authorities to submit an updated action plan.
The European Commission’s Rule of Law Report has identified substantial problems severely threatening the rule of law in Hungary in all four areas examined by the report. Civil society organisations have raised attention to several … Read more
The HHC has recently received an increasing number of complaints from Hungarian family members whose spouses have been suddenly expelled and eventually detained by the NDGAP (National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing). Several third-country national detainees … Read more
Information update by the HHC on the execution of the European Court of Human Rights’ judgment in the Varga and Others v. Hungary case
The Hungarian state failed to remedy the legislative deficiencies that have led to the breach of the right to peaceful assembly on several occasions in the past. Although a new assembly law was passed, sufficient … Read more
In the early morning hours of 13 May 2020 in the town of Gyula, located in the southeast corner of Hungary, the police raided the home of Mr János Csóka-Szűcs, a local NGO activist.
In its Information Note, the Hungarian Helsinki Committee provides an overview of certain rule of law developments in Hungary between May and July 2020, covering concerns pertaining to the justice system and institutional issues related to checks and balances.
Amendments introduced as of 18 June by the so-called Transitional Act provide the Government excessive powers that can be applied with a reference to an epidemic, with significantly weakened constitutional safeguards. Other provisions for example on asylum, the powers of the military forces, and data protection also give rise to concerns, NGOs say.
The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled on 14 May 2020 that Hungary’s practice of automatically placing the quasi-totality of asylum-seekers in closed land-border transit zones during the entire asylum procedure constitutes … Read more
The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention cannot accept that an individual who either must agree to remain in the transit zone or lose the possibility of lodging an asylum application could be described as freely consenting to stay in the transit zone.
This information update shows how the broad consensus by international organisations that qualifies placement in the transit zones of Hungary as deprivation of liberty has emerged. The update compiles a list of key judgments, adopted … Read more
A communication by the Hungarian Helsinki Committee and Amnesty International shows that due to the legal and institutional structures created by the governing majority, the chilling on the freedom of expression of judges effect is encoded in the Hungarian court system, and Hungary has failed to adopt guarantees to avoid retaliation against judges voicing criticism in relation to the independence of the judiciary.