Hungarian Civil Liberties Union

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.

our focus areas & news

Assessing the First Wave of Legislation by Hungary's New Parliament

Three NGOs, the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union, the Eötvös Károly Institute and the Hungarian Helsinki Committee have reviewed and commented on the way the Fidesz-KDNP Government has performed its legislative work so far, and consequently submit their criticism below.

10 reasons why human rights should occupy the center of the global AIDS response

A Short film exclusively produced for the Human Rights Rally in Vienna at the AIDS 2010. This video was shown before the Annie Lennox preformance.

Get a penalty for doing your job!

Budai Gyula is a public employee in Ózd (town in Hungary). His job is to keep the recycling bins in order. He received a penalty for 10.000 HUF for scavenging, while he was doing his job. He acted correctly by not acknowledging his supposed offence by his signature. If he had done so, he could not argue against the decision. Do not sign anything if you have not committed what you’re being charged for!

'We don't want welfare, but jobs'

There is no bad work, the important thing is to have a job. This is what a young man from Hétes settlement talks about, in our video.

They just watched as the houses collapsed

Out of the non-Roma people, only the mayor helped the Gypsies living in flooded houses in Sáta settlement, Borsod county, Hungary, in the defensive measures against the flood. All the other deputies stood back, and some even hindered their efforts.

Gypsies did not have access to the donations collected to benefit flood victims

The local branch of the ’Jobbik’ party in Monor (a town in Hungary), has an ongoing collection for the benefit of flood victims. The flood has damaged 17 houses in the township, of which 5 are inhabited by Gypsies.

A ’Jobbik’ party activist, in charge of distributing donations, has not given any aid to the Gypsy victims- clearly stating it was due to their lineage. She had apportioned parts of the donations for non-Gypsy born people who were not affected by the flood, but were considered ’Jobbik’ voters. Online descriptions of the donations emphasize that the contents will only benefit ’Hungarians.’