Challenging the national security card in asylum cases
Bringing Article 6 of ECHR into play
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.
Doors Wide Shut – Quarterly report on push-backs on the Western Balkan Route
As part of the Protecting Rights at Borders initiative funded by the European Programme for Integration and Migration (EPIM), the second quarterly report on unlawful push-backs carried out by authorities in Greece, North Macedonia, Serbia, … Read more
European Court of Human Rights: Hungarian Push-backs in breach of prohibition of collective expulsions
The European Court of Human Rights ruled this morning for the first time that push-backs carried out by Hungary under a domestic regulation are in breach of the prohibition of collective expulsions enshrined in Article … Read more
Before having been pushed back to Serbia, he was beaten up
Our client wanting to seek asylum was pushed back to Serbia without any examination of his individual circumstances. 72 000 such cases occurred in the course of 5 years. The Pakistani man’s case was no … Read more
Strasbourg rules on Hungarian push-backs for the first time
In December 2020, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled that the domestic legalisation of push-backs violates EU law. In the seven months since the ruling, the Orbán Government has not changed … Read more
Panel discussion about refugee women’s access to education
She 4 She and the Hungarian Helsinki Committee celebrated World Refugee Day together on Sunday 20th June 2021. We had a panel discussion in Mandák-ház about refugee women’s access to universities. Watch the conversation on video if you missed the event!
Pushing back responsibility – Quarterly report on push-backs on the Western Balkan Route
As part of the Protecting Rights at Borders initiative funded by the European Programme for Integration and Migration (EPIM), the first quarterly report on unlawful push-backs carried out by authorities in Greece, North Macedonia, Serbia, … Read more
Intervention at the European Parliament’s LIBE Committee’s Frontex Scrutiny Working Group
Our intervention at the European Parliament’s LIBE Committee Working Group on Frontex Scrutiny on push-backs and the Agency’s human rights record in Hungary.
Third party intervention at the ECtHR in Mahamud v. the Netherlands, app. no. 64534/19
The Hungarian Helsinki Committee (HHC) submitted a third party intervention to the European Court of Human Rights on 8 April 2021 in Mahamud v. the Netherlands, App. no. 64534/19 that concerns a family reunification of … Read more
Hungarian asylum provisions on exclusion from international protection still not compliant with EU law
Our new information update focuses on how Hungarian asylum provisions on exclusion from international protection are still not compliant with EU law, despite CJEU Ahmed judgement (C‑369/17). In summary, the infringement of EU law centers … Read more
Special decree on expulsion violates EU law
Our new information update focuses on Government Decree 570/2020. (XII. 9.) which removes the possibility to obtain suspensive effect for appeals lodged against expulsions that are issued on the basis of of a violation of … Read more
The European Court of Human Rights rules that placement in the transit zones following the legal changes of 2017 qualifies as unlawful detention
Today the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) delivered its judgement in the case of an Iranian-Afghan family who were held in the transit zone for the entire duration of their asylum procedure in 2017 and released only upon being granted international protection.
Advocate general: Hungary’s criminalisation of assistance to asylum-seekers violates EU law
Today, Advocate General Rantos delivered his opinion in an infringement procedure initiated by the European Commission against Hungary in July 2018. The Advocate General held that the criminalisation of assistance to asylum-seekers violates the law … Read more
Submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants on push-backs from Hungary
This submission has been prepared by the Hungarian Helsinki Committee in response to the call for input of the Special Rapporteur, to inform his report to the 47th session of the United Nations Human Rights … Read more
Evaluating Frontex’s human rights mechanisms related to Hungary
Drawing on exchanges between the HHC, various stakeholders of Frontex and its Executive Director, our new information note shows how the Agency turned a blind eye towards well documented systemic human rights violations at Hungary’s … Read more
Hungary’s legalisation of push-backs in breach of EU law according to the Court of Justice of the European Union
17 December 2020 (Budapest) – The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) today announced its judgment, closing infringement proceedings initiated in December 2015. The European Commission initiated the procedure because of concerns regarding … Read more
Joint third party intervention at the ECtHR in S.B. v. Croatia, app. no. 18810/19
The Hungarian Helsinki Committee together with the European Council for Refugees and Exiles (ECRE), the Dutch Council for Refugees (DCR), the AIRE Center, and the International Commission for Jurists (ICJ) submitted a third party intervention … Read more
State of play of infringement procedures concerning various issues related to the Hungarian asylum system
Since, the European Commission has launched five asylum-related infringement procedures against Hungary, which were primarily based on the information and complaints submitted by the HHC and reflect the HHC’s position. You can find a list of … Read more
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
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