Hungary

Rule of law and human rights continue to be undermined in Hungary, with increasing pressures on the media and civil society, and ongoing discrimination against ethnic and religious minorities. Free expression by media has been undermined by court rulings, while tax laws discriminate against independent media companies. Authorities have targeted civil society organizations through surprise financial audits, criminal investigations and public shaming. Roma continue to face systemic discrimination, through attacks and forced evictions. Migrants and asylum seekers face administrative detention.

  • Refugee Rights

    “What crime did we commit for 40 police officers to surround us? It’s like they think we are terrorists or criminals,” 48-year old Khatoon, a Yazidi woman from Iraq who had several family members who were murdered or taken hostage by ISIS, told me. For a month, she had been forced to wait in the mud at the Hungarian border to file her asylum application.

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    Hungary’s War on Refugees

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  • Exodus: Asylum Seekers Flee Into Europe

    Exodus: Asylum Seekers Flee Into Europe

    “What will happen to us?” “Will they fingerprint us?” was the constant refrain as we watched a human wave of asylum seekers and migrants from Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan crossing the Serbia-Hungary border.

  • Fleeing Syria and Stranded in Hungary

    Fleeing Syria and Stranded in Hungary

    Interactive Photo Feature: Thousands of asylum-seekers, including many from war-torn Syria, arrive daily in Hungary, seeking a path to Germany and other Western European countries. Hungary has detained and at times refused to allow people to continue onwards to Western Europe, citing an EU regulation. As a result, thousands have been stranded at Budapest's Keleti train station. Human Rights Watch researchers interviewed scores. Here are their stories. >>