Category: News
Pre-trial detention of 83-year old woman ordered in her absence
An ill, 83 year-old lady, whose pre-trial detention was ordered in her absence by the Tatabánya Municipal Court in a criminal investigation that has been ongoing for almost eight years has been held at the … Read more
Conference on the system of ex officio appointed defense
In late 2008 and early 2009 the HHC carried out research into possible ways of assessing the quality of ex officio defense through studying actual case files. In the research, 150 already closed criminal cases … Read more
NGOs support amendments to Civil Code bill to allow adoption of unmarried partners’ children
A 5-step agenda for better protecting stateless persons in Europe
After five decades of neglect, Europe is urged to respect its international obligations and provide stateless persons with a meaningful protection status.
Rights groups denounce anti-Romani statements by the Ombudsman
Hungarian Rights Groups Denounce Anti-Romani Statements by Hungary’s Parliamentary Commissioner for Civil Rights On 2 April 2009, Dr Máté Szabó, Parliamentary Commissioner for Civil Rights, stated in an interview with the online news portal FigyelőNet, … Read more
The HHC requests the Constitutional Court to abolish actual life sentence
Lifelong imprisonment without the possibility of parole was introduced in 1999 into Hungarian criminal law. In the EU at present Hungary and the United Kingdom are the only Member States that allow imposing a so-called “actual life … Read more
NGOs criticise the President of Hungary regarding his statements on attacks against the Roma
The HHC, the Eötvös Károly Institute, the Legal Defense Bureau for National and Ethnic Minorities, the Roma Civil Rights Foundation and the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union addressed President László Sólyom in a joint letter. The … Read more
HHC opposes Hungarian three strikes law
The Hungarian Helsinki Committee opposes the proposed amendments of the Hungarian Criminal Code, introducing the idea of “three strikes” into the Hungarian criminal law system. The HHC claims that the proposal infringes the constitutional principle that criminal sanctions … Read more
Court ruled for HHC: police are obliged to provide data on ex officio appointed defence counsels
In June 2008 the HHC sent a public interest information request to all Budapest-based police stations to find out in how many cases the police had appointed ex officio defense counsels in mandatory defense cases … Read more
Conference on actual life long imprisonment
Lifelong imprisonment without the possibility of parole was introduced in 1999 into Hungarian criminal law. In the EU at present Hungary and the United Kingdom are the only Member States that allow imposing a so-called “actual life … Read more
Joint NGO statement on the racist statements of Miskolc police chief
On 30 January 2009, Albert Pásztor, head of the Miskolc Police Headquarters held a press conference concerning robberies committed in the city of Miskolc. After the press conference, where he mentioned that all the robberies … Read more
Hungarian court requests a preliminary ruling from the ECJ in an asylum case
The Hungarian Helsinki Committee’s attorney, Gábor Győző is representing a Palestinian asylum seeker before the Metropolitan Court in Budapest (Fővárosi Bíróság) in an asylum case concerning the applicability of Article 1D of the 1951 Refugee Convention.
Detention of Asylum-Seekers in Hungary – Legal framework and practice (2007)
Author: Júlia Mink
Hungarian Helsinki Committee, Budapest, 2007Forgotten without Reason – Protection of Non-Refugee Stateless Persons in Central Europe (2007)
Author: Gábor Gyulai
Hungarian Helsinki Committee, Budapest, 2007Briefing paper for the UN Independent Expert on Minority Issues
The UN Independent Expert on minority issues (IEMI), Ms Gay McDougall paid a visit to Hungary in late June 2006. The HHC met with the Independent Expert and presented a briefing paper on issues related … Read more
Report on police stop and search practice
Control(led) Group – Final Report on the Strategies for Effective Police Stop and Search (STEPSS) Project