Hungary has issued a sharp rebuke to the European Parliament following its recent statements expressing concern over the rule of law under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government.
The backlash came in response to a visit by the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE), which aimed to assess the state of rights and freedoms in the country.
Zoltán Kovács, official spokesperson for the Hungarian government, denounced the actions of the European lawmakers as interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state and questioned the legitimacy of the visit.
The LIBE Committee arrives in Hungary with a verdict already written, accusing us of ‘fascism’ simply because we do not bow to their dictates. This is not oversight, but political slander, Kovács wrote on social media platform X.
He also commented on Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s refusal to meet with the delegation, calling it unsurprising, and issued strong criticism of one of the members — Italian MEP Ilaria Salis, without naming her directly.
Would you take justice lessons from someone elected just to avoid prison? he remarked, referring to Salis, who was previously held in a Hungarian prison for attacking nationalists and later released after becoming an MEP.
In conclusion, Kovács stated:
Hungary does not take orders from people who wear suits but act like criminals.
