Assessment of the proposed law to extend the state of emergency and its constitutional preconditions A carte blanche mandate for the Hungarian government with no sunset clause is not the panacea to the emergency caused by the COVID-19 virus in Hungary. We need strong rule of law safeguards and proportional and necessary emergency measures, not unlimited government rule by decree that can last beyond the actual epidemic crisis.
We, at the Hungarian Helsinki Committee believe that the best thing one can do now is to stay home, if possible. We also do so, as we think this is the socially responsible behaviour for the time being. Cooperating with the police and other authorities is always a civic duty of great priority, especially under the given circumstances.
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 its efforts to counter the destruction of the rule of law.
The Authorization Act allows the Government to introduce significant restrictions, practically without any time limit, without any debate in the Parliament, and without any guarantee for the swift and effective constitutional review.
The Hungarian Helsinki Committee strongly recommends that everyone who is able to stay home should stay home! This is exactly what we are also doing, because this is how responsible citizens act now. Cooperating with the police and the other authorities is always a crucial obligation, but during the present emergency, it is even more crucial than usual.
The High Court of Budapest (Fővárosi Törvényszék) rejected the appeal of an Iranian pharmacist student in her fourth academic year. We are referring to her under the fictitious name Zara. She asked the Court to prevent her deportation to Iran, one of the most infected countries by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Information update
The authorities expelled an Iranian pharmacist student from Hungary as a result of a politically motivated show trial, even though she did not commit any violation of law. She is one of those Iranian students who had allegedly violated the hospital quarantine rules. We present the story of this young woman referring to her under the fictitious name Simin/Zara.
On 31 March 2020, the Hungarian Government issued a decree that overrode certain provisions of the Hungarian Code of Criminal Procedure with a view to state of danger declared by the Government due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Further amendments followed on 8 May after the adoption of another government decree.
The Hungarian Helsinki Committee would like to help those who are in need with its 30 years of legal expertise and experience even during these hard times caused by the COVID-19: we explain new rules in plain language on our website: https://old.helsinki.hu/en/covid-19-information-leaflets/ and we also help in individual cases and specific legal issues if related to Hungary.
