On 26th May, the Hungarian voters will elect 21 members of the European Parliament. In October, voters will vote on members of local government.

The State Audit Office (SAO) is again in action: this year the Democratic Coalition (DK), Movement for a Better Hungary (Jobbik), Momentum and Parbeszed were put on the stand. It is dangerous and illegal what the SAO does. Prior to the EP Elections, the SAO again used procedures on opposition parties, during which the general public is not informed about the background of the cases and which do not provide legal remedies against the sanctions.

The government has submitted an amendment proposal that would exclude protests from the most important, symbolic public squares of Budapest during national holidays. Furthermore, it would empower local governments to remove further areas a no-protest zone.

Freedom House published this year's evaluation examining post-socialist countries on Tuesday. The report, Nations in Transit 2015, reclassifies Hungary from the category "Consolidated Democracies" to "Semi-Consolidated Democracies." The Washington-based international watchdog organization examined 29 countries (in Central Europe, the Balkans and the member states of the former Soviet Union) during last year. In the report, Hungary ranked 8th among 29 countries, finishing behind Slovakia and ahead of Bulgaria.

More:

https://freedomhouse.org/report/nations-transit/nations-transit-2015#.VYp-G-2qqkp

The Hungarian government has failed to reach a satisfactory agreement on compensation with nine disenfranchised churches, leaving the matter to the European Court of Human Rights to decide.

The Hungarian Civil Liberties Union is representing the gay dating site melegrandi.hu in proceedings before the Equal Treatment Authority. The site was going to place ads on buses managed by the Budapest Transport Company (BKV), but was denied by the company responsible for BKV's advertisements, claiming that advertising regulations prohibit ads that threaten the moral development of children and minors. HCLU says this interpretation is totally missing the point of the concerned paragraph of Hungary's advertisement law, and the denial constitutes an infringement of equal treatment rights.More:http://tasz.hu/hirek/tasz-kepviseli-melegrandihu-t

The Hungarian public education system has fundamentally changed due to the 2011 adoption of the Act on National Public Education and other related legislation. Considering the severe infringements of children's rights and the curtailing of the autonomy of teachers and institutions, the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union has decided to extend its legal defense activities to this field as well. In the framework of its Freedom of Education Program, the NGO provides legal advice and representation free of charge.More:http://tasz.hu/hirek/elindul-tasz-tanszabadsag-programja

The Hungarian government has filled the Constitutional Court with loyal judges to create a judicial rubber stamp for government interests, according to a study by Hungarian NGOs of recent Constitutional Court decisions.

Prison overcrowding in Hungary leads to inhuman and degrading conditions, the European Court of Human Rights ruled on March 10. The Hungarian Helsinki Committee provided legal representation in the case. The organization has pointed out that the problem is systemic: Hungarian penal policies force thousands to be held in pre-trial detention without any justification. The court said that inadequate sleeping arrangements, insect infestation and poor ventilation, among other things, had amounted to degrading treatment. Some 450 other cases on prison overcrowding are still before the court.More:http://index.hu/belfold/2015/03/10/borton_tulzsufoltsag_strasbourg_emberi_jogi_dontes_helsinki_bizottsag/

On Tuesday, November 18th, a representative of the ACLU, CCLA, CELS, EIPR, HCLU, KHRC, LRC and Liberty, who are part of the International Network of Civil Liberties Organizations (INCLO), made a presentation at a public hearing on the right to protest organized by Brazil’s Federal Attorney General’s Office and Sao Paulo State’s prosecutors’ office. The purpose of the hearing was to exchange data, information, criticism and proposals related to exercising that right.

The European Union (EU) is premised on the respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law, and human rights— including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. EU Member States share these values: they are societies committed to pluralism, the prohibition of discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity, and gender equality. Lately, these fundamental values have been systematically disrespected in Hungary.

The third issue of the International Network of Civil Liberties Organizations’ (INCLO) quarterly newsletter, Global Developments in Religious Freedom and Equal Treatment has published. The newsletter highlights recent international developments, including cases and legislation, concerning religious freedom, equal treatment, and the intersection of the two. This edition sheds light on two landmark decisions (Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, SAS v. France), as well as on other transnational developments.