BUDAPEST, May 27. /TASS/. Hungary’s new parliament decided to halt the country’s withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC), initiated by the previous government headed by Viktor Orban.
"As many as 133 votes were in favor of the corresponding bill, 37 were against and five abstained," Speaker Agnes Forsthoffer said at a meeting of Hungary’s supreme legislative body carried live on public broadcasters.
The move is based on a decision by the new government formed by Prime Minister Peter Magyar, the Tisza party leader, which won the April 12 election. At the debates prior to the voting, State Secretary for Public Administration Peter Bodis, who represents the Cabinet’s position, said that the ICC is an important instrument "that serves the cause of international peace and security and is designed to punish dangerous international criminals."
On the contrary, the Orban government argued that the ICC has been much politicized of late as it has been abusing countries in order to achieve its objectives in international conflicts. In light of this, Budapest announced its withdrawal from the global judicial body and refused to abide by its verdicts in 2025. However, the procedure was never completed, and the new government just cancelled it.
The Orban government also refused to recognize the arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin issued by the ICC in March 2023 in the event of his visit to Budapest. On March 17, 2023, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Putin and Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights Maria Lvova-Belova on charges of "illegally deporting" Ukrainian children. Commenting on this decision, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that Moscow does not recognize the ICC’s jurisdiction.