Move follows visit by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, as Budapest decries court’s ‘political influence’ and rejects arrest warrant.
Hungary’s parliament has approved legislation initiating the country’s withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC), marking a significant shift in Budapest’s approach to international legal institutions.
The bill, submitted by Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjen, was passed on Tuesday with 134 votes in favor and 37 against. The legislation declares Hungary’s rejection of what it describes as the politicization of international legal bodies, stating that the ICC has strayed from its founding principles.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government announced its intention to withdraw from the ICC on April 3, the same day Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Hungary for a state visit. The rare visit came despite an ICC arrest warrant issued against Netanyahu, which Hungary has openly condemned as politically motivated.
Orban has accused the ICC of acting as a political body rather than an impartial court of law. “Hungary firmly rejects the use of international organisations – in particular criminal courts – as instruments of political influence,” the bill reads.
Hungary, which ratified the ICC’s founding treaty in 2001, has yet to fully enact it into national law. Under international procedure, withdrawal from the court becomes effective one year after formal notification is submitted to the UN Secretary-General.
Netanyahu welcomed Hungary’s move, calling it a “bold and principled decision.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar praised the Hungarian Parliament for its “just and historic decision this morning to approve the withdrawal from the ICC. The so-called “International Criminal Court” has lost all moral credibility in its zeal to remove Israel’s basic right to defend itself. Thank you, Hungary, and Prime Minister Viktor Orban!”Hungary’s parliament has approved legislation initiating the country’s withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC), marking a significant shift in Budapest’s approach to international legal institutions.
The bill, submitted by Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjen, was passed on Tuesday with 134 votes in favor and 37 against. The legislation declares Hungary’s rejection of what it describes as the politicization of international legal bodies, stating that the ICC has strayed from its founding principles.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government announced its intention to withdraw from the ICC on April 3, the same day Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Hungary for a state visit. The rare visit came despite an ICC arrest warrant issued against Netanyahu, which Hungary has openly condemned as politically motivated.
Orban has accused the ICC of acting as a political body rather than an impartial court of law. “Hungary firmly rejects the use of international organisations – in particular criminal courts – as instruments of political influence,” the bill reads.
Hungary, which ratified the ICC’s founding treaty in 2001, has yet to fully enact it into national law. Under international procedure, withdrawal from the court becomes effective one year after formal notification is submitted to the UN Secretary-General.
Netanyahu welcomed Hungary’s move, calling it a “bold and principled decision.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar praised the Hungarian Parliament for its “just and historic decision this morning to approve the withdrawal from the ICC. The so-called “International Criminal Court” has lost all moral credibility in its zeal to remove Israel’s basic right to defend itself. Thank you, Hungary, and Prime Minister Viktor Orban!”
