Bedbugs in Hungarian prisons
Prisoners are just as vulnerable to insect bites as others living in closed institutions.
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3.5 year long “state of danger” in Hungary – not reasonable, but extremely convenient for the government
The Hungarian Government declared the first state of danger more than three and a half years ago. Since March 2020, except for a few months, the Government has maintained a “rule by decree” system. Even now. This allows the Government to override acts from one day to the next, and the Government has been taking advantage of this opportunity to adopt hundreds of emergency decrees. Many of these have no connection to the pandemic or the war in Ukraine and only serve the Government’s political purposes.
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We are barely any closer to accessing EU funds than half a year ago
According to a recent assessment by civil society organisations, the Hungarian government has so far not complied with most of the conditions necessary to access EU funds. The government has not taken firm steps to fully address the rule of law and human rights problems that the European Union had identified. Barely anything has improved compared to the bleak situation at the end of April. The most significant deficiency relates to the compliance with the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU, since the government hasn’t completely fulfilled any of the related four conditions.
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The Proposed Regime Defence Law is Bound to Fail
Budapest, 22 November 2023 The leader of the Fidesz parliamentary group yesterday presented a package of laws that are called “defense of sovereignty” but are in fact designed to protect the arbitrary exercise of power. … Read more
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Assessing Hungary’s current compliance with conditions to access EU funds
The Hungarian government had not taken adequate steps in order to fully address the rule of law, corruption and human rights concerns raised by EU institutions, and so it had not complied with most of the conditions of accessing EU funds.
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Hungary: No True Commitment to Restoring the Rule of Law
Selected rule of law and human rights developments in the light of the Article 7(1) TEU procedure
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Fundamental deficiencies – an assessment of the judicial reform in light of its implementation
Hungary’s access to EU funds under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) and under ten operative programmes are connected to a complex set of benchmarks, amongst these, four so-called super milestones aimed at strengthening the … Read more
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STARLIGHT programme empowers human rights lawyers to drive positive change
In an ever-evolving legal landscape, staying ahead of the curve is essential. The STARLIGHT programme, a joint initiative by the Hertie School and the Hungarian Helsinki Committee (HHC), has paved the way for 60 legal practitioners in the European Union to harness the full potential of the Charter of Fundamental Rights (CFR) through strategic litigation.
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We launched the YES project to help young refugees and immigrants in Hungary
The Hungarian Helsinki Committee is implementing the YES project (Youth Engagement and Sensitization for Refugee Integration and an Inclusive Hungarian Society) between September 2022 and August 2024, with the support of terre des hommes Germany. With the project, on the one hand, we help young refugees and immigrants living in Hungary to become active participants in their communities and Hungarian society. On the other hand, we increase the awareness of Hungarian youth and teachers through sessions that help them understand the situation of refugees and immigrants. The YES project was born out of our wish to encourage refugees and immigrants – who belong to a minority with one of the most negative portrayals in Hungary – to feel more at home in Hungary by becoming more visible and equal.
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State of danger to be extended again – with a one-sentence justification
The Hungarian government declared a state of danger for the first time in March 2020. Under a draft law recently put to public consultation, this would soon be extended again, until the end of May 2024. The Ministry of Justice which prepared the draft law “justified” the proposal with a single sentence. However, according to Amnesty International Hungary, the Eötvös Károly Institute, the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union and the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, the regulatory framework of the state of danger should be transformed and the Government’s unjustified, excessive regulatory powers should be put to an end.
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Statements at the OSCE Warsaw Human Dimension Conference 2023
HHC attended the OSCE Warsaw Human Dimension Conference and submitted statements on shrinking civic space, violations of the rights of migrants and asylum-seekers, freedom of assembly, and the rule of law.
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Hungarian legislation should unambiguously guarantee freedom of expression of judges
More than seven years have passed since the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) delivered the Baka v. Hungary judgment, requiring Hungarian authorities to lift and countervail the “chilling effect” on the freedom of expression … Read more
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Not “only strong, adult males”: two asylum-seeking families with small children win in the European Court of Human Rights against Hungary today
Hungarian authorities forcibly transferred a Yemeni family of seven and an Afghan three-member family to Serbia in 2019. They all applied for asylum at Budapest Airport but were pushed out via the border fence. The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in Strasbourg ruled today that the Hungarian state violated the prohibition of collective expulsions and inhuman or degrading treatment. The Hungarian Helsinki Committee represented the asylum seekers, including a child with Down’s syndrome, in the case.
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European Court of Human Rights judgments condemn detention of asylum-seekers in Hungarian transit zones
The transit zones have been shut down for three and a half years, but this cruel detention regime did not disappear without a trace, still haunting the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. On … Read more
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Updated assessment of Hungary’s compliance with judicial supermilestones
Our updated assessment of Hungary’s compliance with the 4 super milestones aimed at restoring the independence of the judiciary looks at the implementation of the judicial package adopted in May 2023 by the Hungarian Parliament. … Read more
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Beaten to a pulp by police officers: the Strasbourg Court ordered Hungary to pay damages to our client
The state must not abandon victims of police ill-treatment, even if they are collectively expelled foreigners. Nor can it grant impunity to abusers in uniform, a Strasbourg Court judgment confirmed yesterday. Hungarian police officers had … Read more
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STARLIGHT Year II launch webinar: The power of strategic litigation in the EU on 13/10/2023
Are you a lawyer, passionate about protecting fundamental rights across Europe, and eager to develop your skills and knowledge to unlock the power of the Charter of Fundamental Rights (the Charter)? If so, STARLIGHT is for you.
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Brief assessment of the Kúria’s case allocation scheme and system after the judicial reform
On 1 June 2023, the judicial reform package adopted by the Parliament to comply with the super milestones set out in Hungary’s Recovery and Resilience Plan with a view to enhancing the independence of the … Read more
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Join the Hungarian Helsinki Committee’s Social Participation Course
We invite you to join our Social Participation Course! We are looking for young people between the ages of 16-25 who live in Hungary as foreigners. Apply to the course, if: you want to feel … Read more
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Detained asylum seekers v. Hungary: 2:0 again at the European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) found the detention of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee’s two asylum seeker clients unlawful in today’s judgement against Hungary. The young men, from Afghanistan and Algeria, were in asylum detention for five and two months, which was not justified for even a single day.