The Hungarian parliament on May 20 supported a bill on launching Hungary's withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The government-proposed bill, supported by 134 lawmakers, would see Hungary exit the international body that it co-founded in 2002. The Hague-based court is tasked with prosecuting international crimes of genocide, war crimes, or crimes against humanity.
The vote formalizes Hungary's intention, which was first announced in early April during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Budapest. The Hungarian government has sharply criticized the ICC's decision to issue an arrest warrant for the Israeli leader over alleged war crimes in Gaza.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has said that U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will soon be notified of the decision. The withdrawal will be formalized one year after the secretary-general receives the written notification.
While the bill on the withdrawal was approved only on May 20, Szijjarto said already back in late April that the Hungarian legislature had backed the move to exit the ICC.
"With this decision, we refuse to be part of a politicized institution that has lost its impartiality and credibility," Szijjarto wrote at the time.
In March 2023, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over the forcible deportation of children from Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.
Despite the warrant, Mongolia hosted Putin for an official visit in September 2024, citing energy dependence as its reason for not executing the arrest and saying it had limited options.
Francis Farrell
(Updated: )
