23 April 2019

Hungary started to deprive of food some third-country nationals detained in the transit zones started in August 2018. After 5 such cases successfully challenged by the HHC with obtaining interim measures from the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), the Hungarian Immigration and Asylum Office (IAO) promised in August 2018 to discontinue this practice and provide food to all asylum-seekers in the transit zone. While welcoming the announcement to end starvation, the HHC also warned already in August 2018 that unless the legal framework is amended to clearly stipulate the requirement to provide food to all those detained in the transit zone, similar cases will occur in the future. Less than 6 months later, on 8 February 2019, an Iraqi family of five was informed that the parents would not be given food while detained in the transit zone. The IAO actually refused to provide the parents with food for 5 days, until the HHC secured an interim measure from the ECtHR that ordered the Hungarian authorities to immediately stop this practice.

Between February 2019 and the 23rd of April 2019, the HHC had to request interim measures on a case-by-case basis in a total of 8 cases, pertaining to 13 starved people in the transit zones, bringing the total number of starvation cases since August 2018 to 13, and that of the affected individuals to 21.

You can read our full information note, including the summaries of cases here.