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.

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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/