The Hungarian Civil Liberties Union is a human rights NGO. Since our foundation in 1994, we have been working for everybody being informed about their fundamental human rights and empowered to enforce it against the undue interference by those in position of public power.
In the year 2020, the epidemic and the ensuing restrictions further amplified the past difficulties of the most vulnerable and underprivileged sections of Hungarian society, and now more than ever they seem to be on the losing side of the current situation. In addition to this, the coronavirus has more severe consequences for those living in poverty. The Hungarian government should pay special attention to these people, and targeted measures must be taken to prevent further serious losses. Nevertheless there are no special measures taking place, during this time of the epidemic the government forgets about this strata of society just as much as it did before.
The Metropolitan Court of Budapest dismissed the action brought by the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (HCLU) on behalf of Klubrádió against the decision of the media authority to silence the radio station without giving detailed reasons.
Increasingly, and almost always without social debate, facial recognition systems are being used by states to monitor and track their citizens. Inadequate regulation violates fundamental rights, while technological inaccuracies reinforce discrimination. On Data Protection Day, the International Network of Civil Liberties Organizations (INCLO) published its report summarising international experiences, in cooperation with the HCLU - as the problem also affects Hungary.
No steps have been taken by Hungary to comply with CJEU’s judgement. We remind EC it’s time to act.
13 INCLO members are deeply concerned about this week’s arrest and detention of three friends and colleagues who work for the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), a founding member organization of INCLO.