Under a law that entered into force on Jan. 1, inmates who have filed petitions can receive a monthly average of 40,000 forints (EUR 130) in compensation, as it can be expected that the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) will order the Hungarian state to compensate inmates for the sub-standard prison conditions.

Prison wardens have 15 days to assess petitions filed by inmates.

If the prison fails to improve the petitioner’s living conditions or transfer them to a different institution, the inmate can apply for financial compensation through a penitentiary judge, in which case they would have to relinquish their claim to any further compensation.

So far 115 inmates have filed for compensation this year, the paper said.

Republished with permission of Hungary Matters, MTI’s daily newsletter.