Webinar recording 👉 bit.ly/4oabcbV Call for applications 👉 bit.ly/4o9Pmph 🤝 @hungarianhelsinki.bsky.social ky.social @hertieschool.bsky.social @ec.europa.eu

⭐What does it take to turn legal victories into real change? At our STARLIGHT 2.0 webinar, one message rang clear: 🗣️ Strategic litigation isn’t just about winning cases, it’s about reshaping systems, and amplifying silenced voices. That’s what our programme is built for 👇

The next Article 7 hearing in respect of Hungary will be held on 21 October in the General Affairs Council. 9 Hungarian civil society organisations outlined key developments, priority concerns, and recommendations on 13 topics under scrutiny. Our new paper: helsinki.hu/en/wp-conten...

Ahead of the 21 October General Affairs Council hearing in the Article 7 procedure concerning Hungary, 9 independent Hungarian civil society organisations outlined key developments over the past year, priority concerns, and recommendations on 13 topics under scrutiny. helsinki.hu/en/questions...

Hungary's Law-Making Process: Executive Dominance and Eroded Oversight ⚠️ Ineffective Public Consultations ⚠️ Parliamentary Process Instrumentalisation ⚠️ Perpetual Emergency Powers ⚠️ Opposition Marginalisation and Sanctions 📗 Read our new mapping paper: helsinki.hu/en/deficienc...

The European Commission just published the 2025 Rule of Law Report. Join us on Wednesday, 16 July at 14:00-15:00 in this EPC webinar in to discuss what the report’s new edition brings. With @martapardavi.bsky.social @mariaskora.bsky.social @ericmaurice.bsky.social @danielfreund.bsky.social

The European Commission just published the 2025 Rule of Law Report. Join us on Wednesday, 16 July at 14:00-15:00 in this EPC webinar in to discuss what the report’s new edition brings. With @martapardavi.bsky.social @mariaskora.bsky.social @ericmaurice.bsky.social @danielfreund.bsky.social

Four years after the detention of Ales Bialiatski, Valiantsin Stefanovic and Uladzimir Labkovich, 40+ INGOs urge Belarus to uphold the rule of law and to immediately and unconditionally release all HRDs arbitrarily detained in Belarus. humanrightshouse.org/statements/f... #FreeViasna #FreeBelarus

Budapest Pride 🏳️‍🌈🇭🇺 the ban backfired! Peaceful, safe, happy and huge! Organisers estimate a crowd over 200,000 people.

We hope that Budapest Pride today will be a peaceful and joyous celebrations of human rights. But this morning the legal situation is still quite unclear. We're ready to give legal assistance to participants if they are fined for taking part. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

Many thousands of people are expected to participate in Budapest Pride 🏳️‍🌈 this Saturday, 28 June. We need people to be informed and to feel safe in exercising their right to freedom of assembly. So here’s our Q&Q guide: helsinki.hu/en/pride2025/

"People wake up in the morning and don’t know which of their fundamental rights are going to be taken away; that’s not a normal way to live." The legal battle for equal rights and freedom of assembly is heating up before Budapest Pride 🏳️‍🌈 on Saturday, 28 June. observer.co.uk/news/interna...

Hungary in 2025: Far-right groups can hold rallies promoting exclusionary messages, while the Supreme Court (Kúria) has upheld a police ban on a LGBT+ rights demonstration planned by 4 human rights groups. We continue the struggle for freedom of assembly and human rights. helsinki.hu/a-kuria-dont...

Vote delayed ≠ threat gone The proposed law targeting civil society, media, and democracy groups isn't dead—it's just on pause. The political intent to silence watchdogs remains crystal clear. lens.civicus.org/interview/th...

Postponing the final vote on the bill is not a retreat but merely a tactical delay. Protests by civic actors, media and businesses helped secure this temporary relief. The next months will be crucial to safeguard freedom of expression, association and assembly. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

Michael O'Flaherty, the Council of Europe's @coe.int Commissioner for Human Rights has asked Hungary’s Parliament not to adopt the law that stifles civil society. It breaches freedom of expression and association, privacy, fair trial rights and the ban on discrimination. www.coe.int/en/web/commi...

This brings us one step closer to a legal victory that is aimed at ensuring that the Pride march in Budapest will be held peacefully and lawfully on 28 June!

SEE YOU AT BUDAPEST PRIDE ON 28 JUNE 🏳️‍🌈 After an initial police ban on a demonstration by 5 human rights NGOs and our successful court challenge, Budapest Police today acknowledged a demonstration for LGBTIQ+ rights in Budapest. This means Budapest Pride on 28/6 is ON. ℹ️ helsinki.hu/siker-szabad...

„Návrh vyjmenovává témata, která se stávají tabu. Pokud byste se jimi chtěli zabývat a máte příjmy ze zahraničí, mohli byste riskovat ztrátu přístupu k jakýmkoli příjmům,“ popisuje právnička Márta Pardaviová. We talked to Czech public radio @irozhlas.cz www.irozhlas.cz/zpravy-svet/...

“Sometimes it might seem kind of tempting to say: ‘OK, we’re just going to make this compromise, and it might go away,’” András Kádár told @theguardian.com. “But ... we always hit new rock bottoms. It’s very important to fight every inch and bit of this process.” www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...

Budapest police decided to ban an LGBTQI march on June 1, refuting the claim by Hungary’s EU minister, János Bóka, that “there is no such thing in Hungary as a Pride ban”. 5 NGOs condemn the move as a politically motivated violation of the right to peaceful assembly. helsinki.hu/en/hungary-b...

We joined @liberties.eu's open letter to @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu, warning of the severe and existential threat to democratic principles, human rights and the rule of law in Hungary and in the EU as a whole. Already 320+ orgs from all over Europe have joined the call on the Commission to act fast.

Read how the mechanics and the impact of the 'Starve and Strangle law', a new bill in the 🇭🇺 parliament, would silence independent voices, civil society and media. We urge EU institutions and member states, the Council of Europe and the OSCE to act. Our briefing note ➡️ helsinki.hu/en/operation...

If this bill passes, it will not simply marginalise Hungary’s independent voices – it will extinguish them, we told @theguardian.com. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m...

The Hungarian bill on "transparency in public life" [the Starve and Strangle Law] must not be adopted, say @coe.int PACE monitors. "As proposed, the bill would make it impossible for civil society organisations and independent media outlets to operate, let alone exist." pace.coe.int/en/news/9893...

Here is our own, unofficial translation of the Starve & Strangle bill: helsinki.hu/en/wp-conten...

A dark turn in Hungary’s democracy erosion: disguised as a transparency measure to prevent sovereignty threats, the Bill on the Transparency of Public Life aims to starve and strangle civil society, independent media and any legal entity the government decides to target. helsinki.hu/en/operation...

Banning #LGBTIQ+ gatherings and denying transgender citizens their right to self-determine is an unprecedented attack on the EU's most fundamental civil freedoms and rights. Equality for all is the bedrock of democracy. We urge @ec.europa.eu to act swiftly in defence of #Hungary's #LGBTQ+ community.

To prevent irreparable harm to the 2025 Budapest Pride March, human rights organisations are urging the European Commission to request interim measures in the lawsuit at the EU Court of Justice regarding the Hungarian anti-LGBTIQ+ propaganda law. Our joint letter to the Commission: lnkd.in/dXtpN6G8

We described the change as a means of “legislating fear” in the EU country. “These laws represent a significant escalation in the government’s efforts to suppress dissent, weaken human rights protection and consolidate its grip on power." www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...

Our new policy brief: How to boost the transparency, accountability, and enforcement of the EU's conditionality frameworks to better protect EU values and financial interests. Based on experiences of human rights and anti-corruption civil society organisations in 🇭🇺. helsinki.hu/en/refining-...

We look forward to sharing our experience and presenting recommendations on refining the implementation of the EU's rule of law conditionality mechanism at the hearing in the European Parliament BUDG and CONT committees 🗓️ next Monday, 7 April, 16:30-18:30 www.europarl.europa.eu/committees/e...

Joint statement by 🇦🇺🇦🇹🇧🇪🇨🇿🇩🇰🇪🇪🇫🇮🇫🇷🇩🇪🇮🇸🇮🇪🇱🇻🇱🇹🇱🇺🇳🇱🇳🇴🇵🇱🇸🇮🇪🇸🇸🇪🇨🇭🇬🇧 on the Hungarian 🇭🇺 law restricting the right of peaceful assembly and the freedom of expression.

Suspending Hungarian citizenship for dual nationals, violations of freedom of assembly and the attempt to ban Pride🏳️‍🌈 -- the Orbán government is escalating its efforts to stifle dissent and weaken human rights protections in Hungary🇭🇺. Our 2 new briefs explain the plans ➡️ helsinki.hu/en/legislati...

UN 🇺🇳 Human Rights Commissioner Volker Türk calls on Hungary 🇭🇺 to repeal new law that results in arbitrary and discriminatory restrictions on the rights of LGBTIQ+ individuals, freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and privacy. www.ohchr.org/en/press-rel...

Suspending Hungarian citizenship for dual nationals, violations of freedom of assembly and the attempt to ban Pride🏳️‍🌈 -- the Orbán government is escalating its efforts to stifle dissent and weaken human rights protections in Hungary🇭🇺. Our 2 new briefs explain the plans ➡️ helsinki.hu/en/legislati...

Legal changes aimed at "banning" Budapest Pride 🏳️‍🌈 breach the rights to the protection of personal data, freedom of assembly, and equal treatment. We'll be there to help protect your rights 💪 -- with information materials, template submissions, and legal advice. helsinki.hu/a-nagy-testv...

Your donation will help us continue to support refugees from Ukraine. www.globalgiving.org/projects/pro...

Tens of thousands of refugees have arrived in Hungary🇭🇺 from Ukraine🇺🇦, fleeing Russia's war. While the government keeps restricting their support, we've been helping 14,000 refugees, offering legal assistance and information. helsinki.hu/en/three-hel...

Hungary has faced significant challenges to judicial independence in recent years. Now the independence of Hungary's disciplinary courts is also being targeted. TAMÁS MATUSIK explains why this is so dangerous and why the threat is imminent. verfassungsblog.de/targeting-di...

In @verfassungsblog.de Tamás Matusik, a senior judge and the former President of the National Judicial Council 🇭🇺, warns how judges' recent outrage over planned structural reforms may have created the political opportunity to silence dissenting voices further. verfassungsblog.de/targeting-di...

Happy Holidays from our Hungarian Helsinki Committee team! 🎄🌠 🕯️ We are grateful for all the support and cooperation we receive to promote human rights and the rule of law in Hungary and beyond, and wish everyone all the best for the holiday season and 2025!

Hungarian courts and judges are again facing an existential crisis, say rights defenders — one year after the European Commission unfroze billions of euros. New obstacles introduced by the Hungarian government put severe financial and politicalconstraints on judges. euobserver.com/Rule%20of%20...

The European Commission has decided to take Hungary to the EU Court of Justice over the sovereignty protection law, which is a breach of EU law and violates numerous fundamental rights, including the freedom of expression and association. @nikolajnielsen.bsky.social euobserver.com/Rule%20of%20...

🇭🇺⚖️🇪🇺💶 Where is Hungary with meeting the conditions to unlock EU funds frozen through the rule of law conditionality mechanism and withheld through RRF (COVID recovery fund)? Our Budapest friends, led by HU Helsinki Committee, have a new analysis, grading progress (or lack of it) in various areas. 1/

New joint NGO report -- 2 years after the suspension of EU🇪🇺 funds to Hungary🇭🇺, the government's compliance with rule of law supermilestones and other criteria set by the Commission and Council remains inadequate. Full report: helsinki.hu/en/wp-conten... 🚦 assessment: helsinki.hu/en/wp-conten...

🇭🇺The National Judicial Council has bowed to a deal with the Justice Minister linking judicial pay rise to dangerous court reforms. Now 400+ court leaders, judges, judicial staff are openly protesting the bargain, calling for protecting judicial independence. mabie.hu/berjavaslat/...

Our latest ECtHR judgment in a series of transit zone case from Hungary. The asylum-seeking mother and her 4 children were unlawfully detained under inhuman conditions for 17 months. Our clients receive €12,000 in just satisfaction. helsinki.hu/en/family-un...

We welcome that today the European Commission launched an infringement action against the Hungarian 'sovereignty defence law', based also on Art.2 TEU. We need a fast process, and the suspension of the law as soon as possible, to minimise its harmful effects. ec.europa.eu/commission/p...

We are grateful to all our friends, colleagues, and followers for your support in 2023. We wish you a peaceful and joyful holiday season and all the best for 2024!