The first court hearing for the misdemeanor case of the Centrum Activists Group (Centrum Csoport) was held on January 11, 2006. The group of young people was charged with misdemeanor for occupying an empty building, owned by the local government. The building has been abandoned and neglected by the local government for 5 years. The aim of the occupiers was to set up a cultural, social and art centre in the abandoned building.

The Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (HCLU) has joined the international campaign organized by civil organizations and private individuals. The campaign is a protest against the brutal behavior towards the “political prisoners” of WTO meeting held in Hong Kong in December.

Peter Juhasz, activist of the Hemp Seed Association (Kendermag Egyesület) came on for a trial on Monday in a landmark case.

On Tuesday the members of the parliament – 185 voting for, 137 voting against, 1 not voting- approved the amendment of the health law, according to which single women are entitled to participate in artificial insemination procedure in the future.

The Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (HCLU), the Legal Defense Bureau for National and Ethnic Minorities, and the Hungarian Helsinki Committee are organizing a Human Rights Festival on 10th of December.

Head of the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union’s (HCLU) Legal Aid Service, Andrea Pelle is representing a collegue from HCLU and the biggest Hungarian NEP in Budapest in a strategic litigation–type criminal procedure. The social worker, followed by the media reports himself with sterile and used syringes at the Budapest Chief Prosecutor’s Office on the World AIDS Day, 12.00 Budapest time.

Hours before the strategic litigation–type criminal procedure today, the Head of the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union’s (HCLU) Legal Aid Service, together with the psychologist/social worker of the Drug Prevention Foundation’s needle exchange program (also a colleguae with HCLU), presented the unacceptable situations surrounding HIV/AIDS and hepatitis prevention among IDU’s for the Members of the Drug Committee of the Hungarian Parliament.

Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (HCLU) has been informed with revelation that Gatter László, the head of the Metropolitan Court of Budapest, denounced certain leaders of the Communist Party (Munkáspárt) for slander, since one of the court’s sentence, delivered in connection with an internal debate of the Labour Party, was called “political” by the Party’s web site.

The European Ombudsman found that the Council did not give any appropriate reason for carrying out its legislation activity behind closed doors.

Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (HCLU) and Védegylet welcome the announcement of the Ministry of Health. The Government will work out the frames of its responsibility in providing remedy for complications caused by obligatory vaccinations.

HCLU and another twenty-one civil organizations are protesting against the draft Lobby Act, which will be in front of the Parliament for enactment in the next days. The draft Lobby Act that was proposed by the Government contains discriminatory regulations towards civil organizations.

Several reports have been released concerning our lawsuit on disclosure of data of public interest.