Office of the commissioner for fundamental rights of hungary

With a view to providing direct support to people fleeing the war in Ukraine, the Office of the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights has opened a temporary regional office at the Záhony railway station today. The staff members of the OCFR, which is a National Human Rights Institution accredited by the UN, will provide administrative assistance and legal counselling to the persons turning to them, and they will also contribute to the humanitarian relief efforts.

“The ongoing military events in Ukraine are shocking and traumatic for all people of good will in Europe and around the world. However, we must not allow this to paralyze us: we must remain committed to defending human rights. We need to show active solidarity, both as individuals and as a community, to help and support all the victims of the war, the people who are fleeing”, Commissioner for Fundamental Rights Dr. Ákos Kozma underlined.

“As of today, the number of refugees who have arrived from Ukraine to Hungary fleeing the war has exceeded 100,000. As I have already emphasized it during my visit on Tuesday, as Commissioner for Fundamental Rights, I consider it a key priority to personally follow the current state of events in these extraordinary times, as well as to provide – together with my staff – direct legal and humanitarian assistance to as many people as possible. With a view to that, the Office of the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights (OCFR), which is a National Human Rights Institution accredited by the UN, is now opening its temporary regional office at the Záhony railway station. At the same time, as of today, a new tab has been added to our Office’s website (www.ajbh.hu), where – in addition to our social media site – we provide further, regularly updated information on asylum law in Hungarian, Ukrainian and English for those who have arrived to our country from Ukraine fleeing the war”, the Ombudsman pointed out.

The staff members of the OCFR will be there to offer personal help to the persons turning to them, for instance, in administrative matters and legal counselling, and will provide relevant information to refugees. Moreover, they will inform those affected about the possibilities of submitting a complaint concerning fundamental rights, and they will also assist in the humanitarian relief efforts.

Following the opening of the temporary regional ombudsman office, Dr. Ákos Kozma and his staff handed over to the charity organizations those donations that had been offered by the staff of the Office of the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights to help refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine.