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ECHR refers Hungary's appeal over Bangladeshi migrants to its Grand Chamber

Pál Völner, state secretary at the justice ministry, said Hungary welcomes the ruling by the court

The Hungarian government’s appeal against a ruling in the case of two Bangladeshi migrants, who had been denied asylum in Hungary, has been refered to the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

In March, the Strasbourg court ruled against Hungary in a primary procedure, stating that the Hungarian authorities had illegally detained the two asylum-seekers and forced them to return to Serbia in October 2015.

The ECHR ruled that Hungary had violated the European Convention on Human Rights, and stipulated that Hungary should pay over 18,000 euros compensation plus legal fees to each complainant.

Hungary’s recent appeal was overheard by a five-strong jury, and the Grand Chamber will act as a secondary court during a later hearing. 

Pál Völner, state secretary at the justice ministry, said Hungary welcomes the ruling by the court. He told MTI that Hungary had rejected the Strasbourg-based court’s first ruling from the very beginning and it will continue its appeal.

“It is clear that the government is fighting against the migrant business of [US financier George] Soros’s organizations, and we have turned to the court in Strasbourg, too,” Völner said. He added that “it is also morally outrageous that they wanted to punish us because we upheld the Schengen rules.”