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We will continue our activities to defend human rights as long as people in desperate situations seek our help. The Hungarian Helsinki Committee is as old as Hungarian democracy itself, established in 1989. Today, as we see the shrinking democratic space we are aware of the responsibility and thus would like to live up to the expectations and trust bestowed on us from people in trouble or threatened by the government.

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Today the Metropolitan Court of Budapest in its first instance ruling found that in the ‘National Consultation’ questionnaire, the Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister had violated the Hungarian Helsinki Committee’s right to good reputation. The court found that the statements in Question 5 of the questionnaire related to the Hungarian Helsinki Committee (HHC) are false and misrepresent the human rights organization.

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The Hungarian Helsinki Committee shared its position with the Hungarian Government regarding the so-called “Stop Soros” draft bill. According to the human rights NGO the regulation under preparation is unacceptable and only serves constitutionally indefensible political objectives, includes pointless regulations, and as such the organization categorically rejects it.

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Against unprecedented pressure and the further dismantling of the rule of law in Hungary we remained a strong human rights watchdog in 2017. We continued to stand up for preserving democratic values, a vivid and independent civil society, the right to asylum and freedom from torture and inhuman treatment. Click here to learn more about what we achieved through strategic litigation, advocacy and capacity-building in 2017.

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Fourteen Hungarian civil society organisations have submitted a joint appeal to the European Court of Human Rights, asking the court to declare that the anti-civil act on "foreign funding" violates the groups' fundamental rights.

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On 29 May 2018, the Hungarian government published two draft laws as the third version of LexNGO 2018, or of what it refers to as the 'Stop Soros' package. The drafts propose using criminal law sanctions and prison terms as weapons against human rights defenders, under the false pretext of tightening rules against irregular migration.

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From emerging democracies in transition, illiberal governments have rapidly transformed Hungary and Poland into ill democracies, have attempted to do so in Croatia, and are slowly and carefully entertaining an illiberal platform in Serbia, according to the new case study Resisting Ill Democracies in Europe.

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A final order of the court required the Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister to suspend the distribution of the “National Consultation questionnaires” by post and online, at least the part that refers to the Hungarian Helsinki Committee. The Hungarian Helsinki Committee went to court on 1 October because of the statements in the “National Consultation questionnaire” that are misleading and misrepresent facts.

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Márta Pardavi, co-chair of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee spoke  at the hearing on "the Situation in Hungary" in the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE).  The speech can be read here.

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The Hungarian Helsinki Committee went to court on 1 October 2017 because of the misleading statements of the “National Consultation questionnaire” that misrepresent facts. HHC wants the court to establish that the statements in the “questionnaire” sent to every household by the Cabinet Office violated the organization’s right to good reputation.

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