Submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association

Háttér Society, the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (HCLU), and the Hungarian Helsinki Committee (HHC) have jointly submitted input to the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association for her 2026 thematic report on the impact of digital and AI-assisted surveillance on assembly and association rights.  

The submission identifies as a principal concern the blanket extension of facial recognition technology (FRT) to all petty-offence procedures, enabling the authorities to capture, analyse, and retain biometric data of peaceful demonstrators irrespective of any wrongdoing. It further outlines how recent legislative changes in Hungary have allowed the authorities to restrict assemblies and impose fines recoverable as taxes without effective remedy. 

These measures exemplify a broader pattern of instrumentalising the justice system to deter civic engagement and silence dissent across society. In practice, the expanded use of FRT enables the mass identification of participants at assemblies without judicial authorisation and operates as a form of remote biometric surveillance. Efforts to obtain basic information about the system’s capacity, safeguards, or oversight were systematically obstructed, underscoring a troubling lack of transparency surrounding its operation. 

These developments have created a profound chilling effect. Organisers risk criminal prosecution and up to one year of imprisonment, while participants face substantial fines enforceable as taxes after 30 days. The vague and arbitrary application of the law has forced organisers to cancel, reclassify, or limit gatherings, and some organisers are already facing criminal investigations. Crucially, the same legal and technological tools can be used against any group or movement, posing a wider threat to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly.

Read the joint submission to the Special Rapporteur here.