Hungary - OPCAT Situation
OPCAT Status
Ombuds Institution
Act CXI of 2011 on the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights (Chapter III/A)
Hungary ratified the OPCAT in 2012, with a declaration under the Article 24 of the treaty, postponing the establishment of its NPM for three years.
The Office of the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights was designated as NPM, through amendments to the Ombudsperson's Act. The NPM started its operations in January 2015.
The SPT visited Hungary in March 2017. Only the visit report addressed to the NPM has been made public.
The SPT member who is the SPT Focal Point for Hungary is available here.
To perform the NPM mandate, in 2014 a NPM unit, so called OPCAT Bureau, was created within the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights. The same year, the head and members of the NPM unit were recruited, following a public call.
The Commissioner established a Civil Consultative Body through directive 3/2014 to provide advice to the NPM. The Body had its first meeting in November 2014. It is composed of representatives of independent organizations, either invited (Hungarian Medical Chamber, the Hungarian Psychiatric Association, the Hungarian Dietetic Association and the Hungarian Bar Association) or selected as a result of a public call (Hungarian Helsinki Committee, Hungarian Civil Liberties Union, MENEDÉK - Hungarian Association for Migrants - and Mental Disability Advocacy Center).
The Civic Consultative Body provides comments and suggestions on the content of the NPM’s annual schedule of visits and inspection priorities; working methods; reports and other publications; and the training plan for NPM's members. Its members also participate in events organised by the NPM.
The Commissioner for Fundamental Rights publishes a separate annual report on its activities as National Preventive Mechanism. The annual reports are avaiable on the NPM's website.
Other reports, such as visit reports, may be available on the NPM's website.
Accession with a declaration under Article 24, Part IV of the OPCAT (NPM designation deferred)