Commissioner: Hungary asylum rules do not comply with European human rights standards

Brussels, January 13 (MTI) – Hungary’s current asylum law and practices do not comply with international or European human rights standards and almost no one has access to international protection in Hungary, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights said in a written observation issued on Wednesday.

The European Court of Human Rights has invited Nils Muiznieks to intervene as a third-party concerning cases involving the transfer of two asylum-seekers from Austria to Hungary under the Dublin Regulation.

Muiznieks said “the very restrictive measures taken in recent months by the Hungarian authorities translate into a deliberate intention of the latter to deter asylum seekers from entering the country and applying for asylum therein.”

“The asylum procedure is too expedited and lacks essential safeguards; the use of asylum detention and the detention conditions are problematic; and the general negative climate against migrants fostered by the authorities is not conducive to the integration of asylum seekers and refugees in Hungarian society,” he added.

Muiznieks said that a considerable proportion of those returned to Hungary under the Dublin III Regulation are currently detained, and the remedies available to challenge detention cannot be considered effective.

Since the Hungarian government introduced a rule according to which Serbia is to be considered as a safe third country, “Dublin returnees to Hungary are exposed to a very high risk of being subject to deportation to Serbia”.

The third party intervention is under Article 36 of the European Convention on Human Rights which entitles the Commissioner to make written observations on all current cases and attend the proceedings.

Photo: MTI

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters