Published on 26 January 2026
 
SECOND SECTION
Application no. 38155/22
Marton Dániel ASBÓTH and Others
against Hungary
lodged on 26 July 2022
communicated on 6 January 2026
SUBJECT MATTER OF THE CASE
The application concerns the alleged interception of telephone calls by the applicants, who, at the material time were journalists and members of various civil society organisations. In particular, in July 2021 the applicants learned that a number of journalists, lawyers, businesspersons and activists had been monitored using the Pegasus spyware. The National Data Protection Authority launched an investigation into the case; however the investigation material was classified until 2050. The relevant material of the Parliament’s National Security Committee, vested with the power to oversee the operation of the national secret services, has also been classified.
The applicants argue that given the above circumstances and the fact that bulk interception can be authorised on grounds which are overly broad in terms of personal and situational scope, there are reasons to believe that their phones have been intercepted. They complain under Article 8 of the Convention about potential secret surveillance, the shortcomings in the authorisation and supervision of interceptions and the lack of remedial measures.
 
 
QUESTION TO THE PARTIES
Does the possibility that the applicants could be subjected to secret surveillance without external/judicial control represent an unjustified/disproportionate potential interference with their rights under Article 8 (see, mutatis mutandis, Szabó and Vissy v. Hungary, no. 37138/14, §§ 52 to 89, 12 January 2016)?
 
 
 
APPENDIX
List of applicants
No.
Applicant’s Name
Year of birth
Nationality
Place of residence
1.
Marton Dániel ASBÓTH
1987
Hungarian
Budapest
2.
Nóra Ilona AUJESZKY
1995
Hungarian
Göd
3.
Attila BABOS
1977
Hungarian
Pécs
4.
Bea Judit BODROGI
1972
Hungarian
Budapest
5.
Zoltán BOGNÁR
1988
Hungarian
Ráckeve
6.
Ilona BOROS
1989
Hungarian
Budapest
7.
Kata CSATÓ
1977
Hungarian
Szigetmonostor
8.
Dániel DÖBRENTEY
1989
Hungarian
Budapest
9.
Dalma DOJCSÁK
1988
Hungarian
Budapest
10.
Erika FARKAS
1979
Hungarian
Göd
11.
Tamás FAZEKAS
1978
Hungarian
Budapest
12.
Borbála FERNEZELYI
1977
Hungarian
Budapest
13.
Szabolcs HEGYI
1977
Hungarian
Miskolc
14.
Borbála IVÁNY
1981
Hungarian
Budapest
15.
Marcell Dénes JÁVOR
1986
Hungarian
Budapest
16.
Veronika JUHÁSZ
1967
Hungarian
Budapest
17.
András Kristóf KÁDÁR
1973
Hungarian
Budapest
18.
Stefánia KAPRONCZAY
1983
Hungarian
Budapest
19.
Ágnes KERTÉSZ
1968
Hungarian
Budapest
20.
Domokos LÁZÁR
1989
Hungarian
Fonyód
21.
Réka Dóra LEBEDI
1995
Hungarian
Hajdúszoboszló
22.
András Péter LÉDERER
1984
Hungarian
Budapest
23.
László MAJTÉNYI
1950
Hungarian
Budapest
24.
Anna MÁRFFY
1993
Hungarian
Budapest
25.
Zsófia MOLDOVA
1975
Hungarian
Budapest
26.
Petra Júlia NAGY
1981
Hungarian
Budapest
27.
Márta PARDAVI
1974
Hungarian
Budapest
28.
Emese Júlia PÁSZTOR
1988
Hungarian
Budapest
29.
Péter PETÁK
1969
Hungarian
Pécs
30.
Attila RÁCZ
1974
Hungarian
Budapest
31.
Ádám István REMPORT
1988
Hungarian
Budapest
32.
Attila SZABÓ
1985
Hungarian
Budapest
33.
Dániel SZALAY
1982
Hungarian
Gárdony
34.
Ádám TAKÁCS
1994
Hungarian
Budapest
35.
Kata TASNÁDI
1988
Hungarian
Budapest
36.
Judit ZELLER
1979
Hungarian
Pécs