Hungary’s parliament may debate and approve as early as today a bill revoking the country’s withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC), under an exceptional procedure. The proposal and the accompanying request for expedited treatment were submitted to parliament by the government on Monday.
According to the proposal, signed by Justice Minister Márta Görög and published on parliament’s website, maintaining international peace and security and protecting human rights require that perpetrators of the gravest international crimes be held accountable before an international judicial forum. To this end, Hungary’s participation in the International Criminal Court must be maintained.
The justification states that participation in the ICC is not merely a matter of foreign policy or international law, but a question of values: a commitment to the inviolability of human dignity, victims’ right to justice and the rejection of a culture of impunity.
“The bill is not only the reversal of an earlier decision contrary to the values of the international community, but also a declaration that the values of justice, human dignity and international cooperation continue to serve as a compass for Hungary,” the justification adds.
The proposal repeals the 2025 law initiated by the Orbán government on Hungary’s withdrawal from the ICC, which stated among other things that “Hungary firmly rejects the use of international organisations — especially criminal courts — as political instruments”.
Prime Minister Péter Magyar has proposed that parliament debate the bill under an exceptional procedure. If more than half of MPs support the request, both the debate and the vote on the proposal will take place on Wednesday.
The government ordered the preparation and submission of the bill to parliament in a resolution published in Friday’s issue of the Magyar Közlöny official gazette.
Artificial intelligence was used for the translation of parts of the original Hungarian text.