Hungary’s National Assembly has approved the country’s withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC), Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó announced Tuesday in Budapest. Following the vote, the Hungarian government will formally notify the United Nations Secretary-General of the decision.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the move comes in response to what Szijjártó described as a growing loss of credibility within the ICC. He criticized recent decisions by the court, including arrest warrants reportedly issued for deceased Hamas leaders—an act he argued was intended to ‘balance out’ the politically controversial inclusion of Israel’s prime minister on the same list.
‘These actions reveal the ICC to be not only unserious, but politically motivated,’ Szijjártó stated. ‘We find it unacceptable when political interests dictate the functioning of a judicial body.’
He argued that under these circumstances, Hungary has no place in an organization that, in the government’s view, has departed from its legal mandate. ‘We will not lend our name to a court that operates in such a politically compromised and unserious manner,’ he said, explaining the rationale behind the withdrawal proposal submitted to parliament.
Now that the motion has been passed, Szijjártó said it is his responsibility to officially inform the UN Secretary-General. ‘The notification has already been prepared,’ he added. ‘As soon as the parliamentary decision takes legal effect and the necessary presidential signatures and formal announcements are completed, the letter will be sent immediately.’
Hungary joined the ICC in 2001 and is now poised to become one of the few countries to exit the international judicial body, a move likely to spark diplomatic and legal debate in global forums.
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