Category: News
- Have you ever wondered how Hungary could be a better place for foreign people? Do you already have ideas how to help refugees and migrants feel more at home in Hungary?
The European Court of Human Rights condemns Hungary again, this time for the push-back of an asylum-seeking child
Another client of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee has won a case in Strasbourg. Hungarian police pushed an Iraqi Kurdish boy to Serbia without any investigation. The inhumane Hungarian regulations made this possible – which are in effect even today, despite several international and EU court rulings declaring them to be a severe violation of fundamental rights. The Hungarian state treats children in need of asylum this way.
Strasbourg Human Rights Court orders compensation to father and son for 1.5 years of detention
Transit zones have been shut down for 3.5 years in Hungary, but this cruel detention regime has not disappeared without a trace and is still haunting the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). Yesterday, the number of its judgments in which asylum seeker applicants won against Hungary, all successfully represented by the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, rose to ten.
Push-backs are not only arbitrary but often also violent
In a shocking report, The Guardian revealed that Hungarian authorities pushed out even severely injured asylum seekers to Serbia. We have been drawing attention to this issue for a long time and continue to provide legal assistance to … Read more
STARLIGHT programme empowers human rights lawyers to drive positive change
In an ever-evolving legal landscape, staying ahead of the curve is essential. The STARLIGHT programme, a joint initiative by the Hertie School and the Hungarian Helsinki Committee (HHC), has paved the way for 60 legal practitioners in the European Union to harness the full potential of the Charter of Fundamental Rights (CFR) through strategic litigation.
Statements at the OSCE Warsaw Human Dimension Conference 2023
HHC attended the OSCE Warsaw Human Dimension Conference and submitted statements on shrinking civic space, violations of the rights of migrants and asylum-seekers, freedom of assembly, and the rule of law.
Not “only strong, adult males”: two asylum-seeking families with small children win in the European Court of Human Rights against Hungary today
Hungarian authorities forcibly transferred a Yemeni family of seven and an Afghan three-member family to Serbia in 2019. They all applied for asylum at Budapest Airport but were pushed out via the border fence. The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in Strasbourg ruled today that the Hungarian state violated the prohibition of collective expulsions and inhuman or degrading treatment. The Hungarian Helsinki Committee represented the asylum seekers, including a child with Down’s syndrome, in the case.
European Court of Human Rights judgments condemn detention of asylum-seekers in Hungarian transit zones
The transit zones have been shut down for three and a half years, but this cruel detention regime did not disappear without a trace, still haunting the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. On … Read more
Beaten to a pulp by police officers: the Strasbourg Court ordered Hungary to pay damages to our client
The state must not abandon victims of police ill-treatment, even if they are collectively expelled foreigners. Nor can it grant impunity to abusers in uniform, a Strasbourg Court judgment confirmed yesterday. Hungarian police officers had … Read more
STARLIGHT Year II launch webinar: The power of strategic litigation in the EU on 13/10/2023
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.
Detained asylum seekers v. Hungary: 2:0 again at the European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) found the detention of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee’s two asylum seeker clients unlawful in today’s judgement against Hungary. The young men, from Afghanistan and Algeria, were in asylum detention for five and two months, which was not justified for even a single day.
Hungarian asylum policy violates EU law, finds CJEU
On 22 June, the Court of Justice of the European Union found that not allowing people to seek asylum on the territory of Hungary violates EU law. Currently it is practically impossible to apply for international protection, as an asylum procedure may only be launched at the Hungarian embassy in Belgrade or Kyiv (!). Under the judgment made in Luxembourg, the “embassy procedure” must be abolished, and fair treatment must be ensured for asylum seekers.
Info Note: No Access to Asylum for 3 Years
The asylum system in Hungary has practically been suspended since May 2020. Neither the legal framework nor its practical implementation offers effective access to the asylum system, thereby emptying out the right to seek asylum.
How to gamble with criminal law: the Hungarian government lets foreign smugglers loose
The Hungarian government’s current attempt to reduce prison overcrowding is absurd. After boasting about its increasingly strict penal policy and communicating about the fight against migration, it has released hundreds of foreign human smugglers from prison, which is damaging and dangerous. We point out the main issues.
The European Court of Human Rights condemns Hungary’s inhumane refugee policy – three times in a single day
A 14-year-old asylum-seeking child was assaulted by field guards in Ásotthalom and thrown back to Serbia by Hungarian police. A 17-year-old asylum seeker was arbitrarily detained for three months. A 28-year-old torture victim asylum seeker was detained despite severe health problems. All three of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee’s clients appealed to the European Court of Human Rights, and all won. The Hungarian state violated their human rights and is obliged to pay just reparation.
Information for non-Ukrainian citizens fleeing from Ukraine
This leaflet has useful information for you if you don’t have Ukrainian nationality, but you lived in Ukraine and you had to leave Ukraine because of the war.
Frequently asked questions and answers for refugees from Ukraine
We have gathered recurring questions that refugees from Ukraine have asked our staff and that we have not covered in our information leaflet. The document can be downloaded and distributed in English, Ukrainian and Russian.
Information for Ukrainian citizens fleeing Ukraine, for refugees recognised in Ukraine and for stateless persons and their family members (EN)
Last updated: 17 July 2024 This document provides you with important information if you are a Ukrainian citizen, you are a Ukrainian citizen’s family member, you have been recognised in Ukraine as a refugee or … Read more
Russian refugee who fled to Hungary from the secret services cannot be deprived of her refugee status without a clear reason
On 23 March, the court annulled the earlier decision to withdraw Ms Gáborné Nagy’s international protection and ordered the authorities to start a new procedure. The judgement ruled that if the National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing (OIF) still wants to deprive her of her refugee status, it has to find properly founded, reasoned objections, and make them available to the person concerned so that she can express her views.
Call for Applications for National Researchers under ‘The Right to Know 2’ project
The Hungarian Helsinki Committee is looking for lawyers to carry out national research for an EU-wide mapping study on the topic of access to classified data in national security immigration/asylum cases in Denmark, Finland and … Read more