Category: News

The Council of Europe has been waiting for Hungary to take steps to execute the Baka case that also concerns the freedom of expression of judges. The inactivity and the telling silence of the Hungarian government is becoming all the more embarrassing, especially because Hungary is expected to give account of important guarantees of the judicial system. During the latest supervision effected in March, the Committee of Ministers also took note of the fact that the President of the Kúria requested the annulment of the Code of Ethics of Judges before the Constitutional Court.

As a result of six years of continuous inertia to implement the European Court of Human Rights judgment in the Baka v. Hungary case, in which the Court concluded that the premature removal of the … Read more

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 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

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. 

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

Tuesday, 13 December 2022,15:00-17:00 (CET) – online on Zoom In November 2022, the European Commission launched a public consultation for the 2023 edition of the Rule of Law Report. The Report monitors positive and negative … Read more

Promises and half-hearted solutions have failed to convince the European Commission, and so Hungary has still no access to vital EU funds. According to the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, K-Monitor and Transparency International (TI) Hungary, the … Read more

The Hungarian judiciary has been waiting in vain for nine months for their leaders to clarify their role in one of the most serious corruption scandals of recent years, the Schadl–Völner case, involving György Schadl, … Read more

In an attempt to capture the Hungarian judiciary, in the past years several judges have been granted appointments and/or leadership positions through either formal breaches of the relevant laws, or using legal loopholes. In our … Read more

On November 23, the Curia (also known as the Supreme Court of Hungary) found that an article published by the Hungarian media giant Mediaworks does not violate Labrisz Lesbian Association’s right to good reputation by … Read more

With the 19 November deadline given to the Hungarian government to enact the remedial measures it committed to in the framework of the conditionality mechanism nearing, the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, K-Monitor and Transparency International Hungary … Read more

Public Members Briefing on the Erosion of Rule of Law and Democracy in Hungary, 15 November 2022   Márta Pardavi, HHC co-chair briefed members of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on Europe, Energy, … Read more

Corruption in Hungary has been in the forefront of the discussions about the country’s rule of law backsliding in the past months. However, rule of law concerns with regard to Hungary are much more diverse, … Read more

The ongoing negotiations between the Government of Hungary and the European Commission regarding the conditions for Hungary’s access to the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility as well as the conditionality procedure under the Regulation to … Read more