Reports to the UN Human Rights Committee
The HHC’s shadow reports and its suggestions for questions to be included in the List of Issues for the UN Human Rights Committee
Topic: Justice
Anybody may become defenceless in the face of the state’s power.
Article 7 – Access to Case Materials in the Investigation Phase of the Criminal Procedure in Hungary
Promoting access to case materials of defendants and their defense counsels in criminal proceedings has been a long-standing priority of the HHC, and is related to activities involving a series of successful applications submitted to … Read more
Follow-up of the ECtHR pilot judgment on prison overcrowding
In its March 2015 pilot judgment issued in the Varga and Others v. Hungary case (in which three of the applicants were represented by the HHC), the European Court of Human Rights concluded that the overcrowding of penitentiaries in Hungary constitutes a structural problem, and Hungary should produce a plan to reduce overcrowding.
Investigation of Ill-treatment by the Police in Europe – Comparative Study of Seven EU Countries
Ill-treatment has been prohibited by international and regional instruments and conventions for many decades. Yet torture and other forms of inhuman or degrading treatment at the hands of state officials, and particularly those engaged in … Read more
Research Report on the Accessiblity of Letters of Rights in Hungary
Do defendants with no legal background understand their rights in criminal procedure? Do they know that they have the right to remain silent? Are they aware of what remaining in silence means in practice? In … Read more
Submissions to the Council of Europe and the Ministry of Justice on prison overcrowding
In its March 2015 judgment issued in the Varga and Others v. Hungary case, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) concluded that the overcrowding of penitentiaries in Hungary constitutes a structural problem, and Hungary … Read more
The Practice of Pre-Trial Detention: Monitoring Alternatives and Judicial Decision-Making
During the past few years, pre-trial detainees have made up almost one-third of the prison population in Hungary, contributing to the overcrowding of the penitentiary system, which, according to a 2015 judgment of the European … Read more
Monitoring the implementation of the Right to Information Directive
The Hungarian Helsinki Committee has been monitoring the law and practice related to the rights of defendants for years and has been participating in numerous national and international projects related to the issue. In addition, … Read more
Submission to the Committee of Ministers about ill-treatment
In the last decade, the HHC’s attorneys have successfully litigated cases before the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in relation to ill-treatment by the police. Therefore, the HHC has special interest in the execution … Read more
Submissions to the Committee of Ministers about overcrowding in prisons
The HHC submitted a communication to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe with regard to the execution of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights related to the overcrowding in Hungarian penitentiaries.
HHC briefing for Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner, June 2014
Summary of HHC main human rights concerns
The Practice of Pre-Trial Detention: Monitoring Alternatives and Judicial Decision-Making
As an implementing partner organization of Fair Trials International the HHC is launching its new project to provide a unique evidence-base about the practice of pre-trial detention.
Last Among Equals – The equality before the law of vulnerable groups in the criminal justice system
Authors: Anna Bárdits, András Kristóf Kádár, Nóra Novoszádek, Bori Simonovits, Dóra Szegő, Dániel Vince – Hungarian Helsinki Committee, Budapest, 2014, ISBN 978-615-5215-24-7
Criminalization of homelessness in Hungary
Legal background material and the law in English
Briefing paper for the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
Briefing paper of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (October 2013) Addititonal information of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention regarding the unlimited … Read more
HHC briefing for CPT periodic visit to Hungary in 2013
HHC met members of the CPT delegation to Hungary in April 2013.
Observations to the UN Human Rights Committee
The UN Human Rights Committee (HRC) is in the process of preparing a General Comment on Article 9 (Liberty and Security of Person) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Upon the invitation … Read more
Practice of racial profiling against the Roma community is acknowledged by the Police
The notary of the village Rimóc (Northern Hungary) noticed that petty offence fines for lack of mandatory accessories for bicycles (ring, headlights, reflector prisms) are almost exclusively imposed on Roma people in the area, although … Read more
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.
HHC and HCLU comments on draft law on criminal procedure and enforcement of punishments
According to the NGOs’ view, the proposed amendments would allow the prosecutor to prohibit the attorney to attend the hearing of the witness. On the other hand it is a positive step that the draft law would ensure the right of appeal in case of placement in special security cells.