European Court rebukes Hungary for wrongful deportation of Afghan student

The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that Hungarian authorities unlawfully deported an Afghan student who was legally residing in the country. The Strasbourg ruling found that the young refugee’s rights were severely violated, despite the absence of any legal grounds for his expulsion. The case highlights systemic flaws in Hungary’s asylum procedures.

Unlawful deportation

As reported by 444, a recent decision from Strasbourg sheds further light on ongoing issues in Hungary’s asylum practices. The European Court of Human Rights determined that Hungarian authorities expelled several asylum seekers—including an Afghan student studying in Budapest—without respecting their legal rights or human dignity. The court found Hungary in violation of both EU and international human rights norms and ordered the state to pay financial compensation.

Injustice against the Afghan student

A central figure in the case is H.Q., an Afghan student who was legally residing in Hungary, studying at a university, and unable to return to his war-torn country. Yet in September 2021, police detained him at a Budapest government office, handcuffed him, and deported him the same day without a formal ruling. He was driven across the border fence into Serbia—a country he had never been to, and one with no responsibility for him.

With support from the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, H.Q. pursued legal action, eventually bringing the case before the European Court of Human Rights. The court ruled entirely in his favor, finding that Hungary violated the prohibition of collective expulsion, the ban on inhuman treatment, and his right to an effective remedy. The court ordered Hungary to pay the young Afghan €10,000 in compensation.