The Absurdity Within
Access to territory and the asylum procedure continues to be a serious challenge for those arriving to the Serbian-Hungarian border and in need of protection. However, it is not only this aspect of the Hungarian … Read more
Topic: Refugee and migrant rights
Each year hundreds of thousands leave their home due to wars, hunger, torture and persecution globally. In Europe, although often perceived as a safe region, asylum-seekers are often met by refusal, detention and expulsion.
The Hungarian Helsinki Committee works towards providing effective assistance to those fleeing to Hungary.
Note on the growing use of national security arguments in expulsion cases
The HHC has recently received an increasing number of complaints from Hungarian family members whose spouses have been suddenly expelled and eventually detained by the NDGAP (National Directorate-General for Aliens Policing). Several third-country national detainees … Read more
Hungary de facto removes itself from the Common European Asylum System
The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled on 14 May 2020 that Hungary’s practice of automatically placing the quasi-totality of asylum-seekers in closed land-border transit zones during the entire asylum procedure constitutes … Read more
Emergence of a broad consensus on transit zone detention
This information update shows how the broad consensus by international organisations that qualifies placement in the transit zones of Hungary as deprivation of liberty has emerged. The update compiles a list of key judgments, adopted … Read more
Input for the Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
The HHC’s input for the Special Rapporteur’s report on “Psychosocial dynamics conducive to torture and ill-treatment”
The Hungarian Helsinki Committee intervenes in the case of R.M. and Others v. Poland
The Hungarian Helsinki Committee was granted leave to submit a third-party intervention in the case of R.M. and Others v. Poland. The case concerns a Russian family with small children who were detained in Poland … Read more
The Ilias and Ahmed Grand Chamber Judgment in light of the current legal context
The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (GC) delivered its judgment in the case of Ilias and Ahmed v. Hungary on 21 November 2019. In its judgment the GC affirmed the Chamber’s … Read more
Report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is a human rights treaty which sets out the civil, political, economic, social, health, and cultural rights of children. The implementation of the CRC … Read more
Toolkit for child protection experts on unaccompanied minors
In the framework of the Guardianship Advanced Instruments for child protection in Europe (G.A.IN.), funded by the European Commission and in partnership with Save the Children Italy, the HHC produced the Toolkit for child protection experts on … Read more
One Year After
Exactly one year ago, amendments to the Hungarian asylum system came into force that drastically reduced the chances of genuine asylum-seekers to receive protection by fundamentally altering the asylum procedure. This past year saw threats … Read more
Hungary continues to starve detainees in the transit zones
Hungary started to deprive of food some third-country nationals detained in the transit zones started in August 2018. After 5 such cases successfully challenged by the HHC with obtaining interim measures from the European Court … Read more
Reports to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD)
The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) is a UN Convention, adopted in 1965 and is in force in Hungary since 1969. The Convention is monitored by the UN … Read more
Crossing a Red Line: How EU Countries Undermine the Right to Liberty by Expanding the Use of Detention of Asylum Seekers upon Entry
In February 2019, the Hungarian Helsinki Committee (HHC) along with several partner organisations, including the Global Detention Project (GDP), launched the final report of their joint initiative, the Red Line detention project, whose objective is to document and raise awareness of how … Read more
Crossing a red line
This research explores how Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary and Italy undermine the right to liberty of asylum seekers upon entry. Besides thoroughly documenting the worrisome trend towards de facto detention, it provides EU organs with the … Read more
The Immigration and Asylum Office continues to ignore court decisions and interim measures
The Hungarian Immigration and Asylum Office (IAO) ignored the instructions of domestic courts regarding the placement of applicants in facilities other than the transit zones on several occasions. The IAO also continues its practice of … Read more
Briefing papers for the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT)
HHC intervenes as a third party before the European Court of Human Rights in a push-back case
The Hungarian Helsinki Committee was granted leave to submit a third party intervention in the case of M.H. and Others v. Croatia, app. no. 15670/18. The case concerns an Afghan family that crossed to Croatia … Read more
Hungary: Key Asylum Figures as of 1 July 2018
The HHC’s brief statistical report about the key asylum figures is available online here.
Hungary: Key Asylum Figures as of 1 June 2018
The HHC’s brief statistical report about the key asylum figures is available online here.
All you ever wanted to know about what happened to refugee protection in Hungary since 2015 in one place
We put together a short document with a list of HHC publications related to key changes in the Hungarian asylum system since 2015 so that you can find the explanation of every major step easily, … Read more