Hungary
Hungary: Health Care Failures Endanger Lives
Ensure Access to Adequate, Quality Health Care, Provide Sufficient Resources Longstanding neglect by the government has left the Hungarian public healthcare system under-prepared to handle the Covid-19 pandemic, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch found poor conditions in hospitals, including a lack of hand soap, sanitizer,… »
New law forces Hungarian transgender people to choose exile
Responses in the field ‘sex at birth’ on new ID documents will be unchangeable Being a transgender person in Hungary is about to become even harder, after the government passed a law that will demand all citizens write their “sex at birth” on their national IDs. And the response in… »
Black Lives Matter Demo in Budapest
On June 7, 2020, about one thousand people gathered on Szabadság tér (Liberty Square) in Budapest to express their solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement in front of the US Embassy. The event was organized by Gregory G Ras and the group… »
The refugee who gave hope to other victims
The Hungarian Helsinki Committee made a movie about the Russian asylum-seeker, Alexei Torubarov. His eventful and touching story illustrates how unfairly refugees are demonized. The case of our client persecuted for his political views had to be brought before the Court of Justice of the European Union to … »
The Nationality of a Virus
By G. M. Tamás[1] As was to be expected, authoritarian governments in Eastern Europe have used the coronavirus epidemic as a pretext to enlarge, to extend, to harden their power and, in the case of Hungary, to finally put the constitutional system out of its misery, where –… »
Hungary: Law to fight coronavirus creates ‘uncertainty’ for journalists
A law that holds a prison sentence of up to five years for spreading “false information” is part of new measures against COVID-19. As Fanny Facsar reports, journalists fear it could make it even harder to report news. These are turbulent times in Hungary, with a single political decision receiving massive international attention. It’s… »
Hungary: Emergency Law gives carte blanche powers to government – free media and human rights defenders needed more than ever
The Hungarian Parliament adopted the so-called “Authorization Act”, allowing indefinite government rule by decree. The role of free media and a strong civil society is now more vital than ever to ensure government accountability. Fully aware of its increased responsibility, the Hungarian Helsinki Committee is reorganising its activities and intensifying… »
The European Commission sides with refugees and civil society
The Hungarian Helsinki Committee welcomes the decision of the European Commission to refer Hungary to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) for what the Hungarian government calls the ’Stop Soros’ act. The Commission also decided to launch a new infringement procedure for withholding food from those detained… »
The constitutional court has failed to protect human right defenders
The Constitutional Court (CC) held today that the Criminal Code amendment by the “Stop Soros” package is constitutional. Although the CC concluded that it would be unacceptable if those who selflessly assist asylum seekers were penalised, it is still not sufficiently clear what is allowed and what is forbidden by… »
Demonstrations and roadblocks all over Hungary
Saturday afternoon, the series of demonstrations against the… »