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Global Campaign to End the Immigration Detention of Children
Every day, around the world, tens of thousands of children, many of them unaccompanied minors, are deprived of their freedom and are locked up simply because they do not hold the right documentation. Children are often detained after fleeing abuse, poverty and war. This growing practice by governments has a devastating effect on the physical, emotional and psychological development of children and must be stopped.
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Comments on draft new Criminal Code
The HHC’s 28-page long comments on the draft Criminal Code, published in February 2012. Criminal statistics do not warrant increasingly harsh penal policies planned by the government. Legal institutions that breacht the Fundamental Law and international law (e.g. three strikes law, life-long imprisonment without parole) remained in the draft, and it also contains disproportionate sanctions.
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Better protection against racist and homophobic crimes!
As part of public consultations on the draft Criminal Code, 5 human rights NGOs call for thorough reform of legal provisions on hate crimes.
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Fact sheets on the situation in Hungary
Fact sheets prepared by the HHC, the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union and the Eötvös Károly Policy Institute on some of the cardinal changes related to the rule of law in Hungary
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Hungarian NGOs meet Council of Europe rapporteurs and Venice Commission
The HHC and other Hungarian NGOs met the rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Venice Commission, and presented concerns related to the legislative steps of the Hungarian Government taken in the past 18 months, with special regard to the so-called cardinal laws.
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Watch our latest short films!
Our latest short films showcase the work of Helsinki Committee lawyers in helping refugees and migrants in Hungary.
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Amnesty proposal grotesque for Christmas protesters
The government’s proposal for an amnesty for 23 Dec protesters at Parliament who now face absurd charges is well placed in a grotesque play, say the Helsinki Committee and the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union.
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Hungarian Government failed to explain undemocratic measures
Hungarian NGO’s send alternative answers to Viviane Reding, EU Fundamental Rights Commissioner
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Absurd charges against opposition MPs after today’s protest
Criminal charges on account of violation of personal liberty against protesting MPs and activist of LMP run counter to human logic, since no one’s freedom of movement has been violated and anyone could access the Parliament building. The Hungarian Helsinki Committee is offering free legal assistance to activists detained by the police.
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Refugee Law Reader Conference on Asylum and Refugee Law Education in Europe
The project “Knowledge-based harmonisation of European asylum practices”, coordinated by the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, held its closing conference in Budapest on 8-9 December 2011.
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Statement on the Hungarian-Slovakian dual citizenship issue
The Hungarian Helsinki Committee finds the case of ethnic Hungarians from Slovakia losing their citizenship due to obtaining Hungarian citizenship astonishing and absurd. As a consequence of the bad neighbourly relations between the two countries, … Read more
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Welcome to the new website of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee!
The new website has been designed with the intention to help the visitor navigate better on our site. We hope you will like it. Currently, we are operating in a test-mode. If you notice any problems, please send us a message to: helsinki@helsinki.hu/
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Unacceptable justification for Metropolitan Court’s judgment on ‘New Hungarian Guard’
The Metropolitan Court in its judgment of November 5 acquitted Róbert Kiss, the leader of the ‘New Hungarian Guard’ of the charges of the abuse of right to assembly. According to the judge the Court should deliver its judgement on the basis of the “prevailing order in the country” and not according to the rule of law. This reasoning is especially problematic when the judge refers to the views of a particular political party.
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HHC comments on draft law on OPCAT
The Hungarian Helsinki Committee commented the draft law on the ratification of the Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention against Torture (OPCAT). The HHC welcomes the ratification of the OPCAT and the designation of the ombudsman as the national preventive mechanism. We are dissapointed however that the draft law does not cover all types of places of detention. We are concerned that NGOs which already acquired significant experience in monitoring detention are excluded from the national preventive mechanism which would start its operation only in 2015.
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Migrants in the Media
The Hungarian Helsinki Committee’s study examines the negative stereotypes in the Hungarian media related to the topics of migration and refugees. The research was based on 300 articles collected and evaluated in 2011.
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NGOs address President of the European Commission
In their letter sent to the President of the European Commission, the Eötvös Károly Institute, the HHC and the HCLU claim that Hungarian legal provisions on the Data Protection Commissioner of Hungary violate relevant EU directives. The NGOs suggest the Commission to initiate a proceeding against Hungary.
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New draft of the petty offence law contains absurd and unconstitutional measures
The Hungarian Civil Liberties Union and the Hungarian Helsinki Committee jointly commented on the new draft law on petty offence. The two human rights watchdog NGOs draw the attention to provisions violating the international and domestic law.
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Serbia as a Safe Third Country: A Wrong Presumption
Hungary refuses to examine on the merits asylum claims of asylum-seekers arriving in Hungary through Serbia, based on the wrong presumption that Serbia is able and willing to provide protection to these persons. This practice is in breach of Article 3 and 13 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
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Human rights NGOs call on Hungarian government to regularly consult civil society to effectively implement UN Human Rights Council UPR recommendations
On 21/09/2011, human rights NGOs met with delegates of the Hungarian Government to discuss future steps of implementing the recommendations accepted by the government in the Universal Periodic Review (UPR).