Ukrainian refugees in Hungary are losing housing due to the country's government decision - HRW.

The government of Hungary, in violation of EU law, issued a "draconian decree" that cancels state funding for shelters for refugees from Western Ukraine, resulting in many of them being left homeless.

This is stated in the Human Rights Watch report.

According to the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, which monitors the situation of Ukrainian refugees affected by this document, about 3,000 refugees from Ukraine, most of whom are women and children, were affected.

"The Hungarian government has hit a new low by making this cruel decision that throws thousands of people who fled the war in Ukraine out on the streets. The European Commission must use all the tools at its disposal to force Budapest to repeal this decree and fulfill its obligations as an EU member state," said Lydia Gall, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch on Europe and Central Asia.

The Hungarian government's decree restricts access to state-funded housing for Ukrainian refugees, granting such right only to those registered in territories that the Hungarian authorities consider to be at war. Ukrainian refugees registered in territories that the Hungarian government considers safe for return are deprived of the right to state-funded housing in Hungary.

The organization reminded that the decree violates the 2001 EU Directive on Temporary Protection, which came into force in March 2022 after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and which requires EU member states to provide temporary protection and assistance to all refugees from Ukraine. The document also contradicts the recommendations of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, which do not differentiate between regions of Ukraine when determining whether a person needs protection.

Source: Ukrinform