The Hungarian Parliament has voted in favor of the country’s withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The news was announced by Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó on his official X page.
By making this decision, we are refusing to remain part of a politicized institution that has lost its impartiality and credibility, Szijjártó stated.
Hungarian authorities first announced their intention to leave the ICC on April 3, shortly after the visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Budapest.
On November 21, 2023, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu, accusing him of the “intentional and deliberate” deprivation of essential goods—such as food, water, and medicine—for the residents of Gaza, which led to civilian deaths. According to The Times of Israel, Netanyahu’s trip to Hungary was his first foreign visit since the warrant was issued.
The International Criminal Court handles cases involving four core categories of serious crimes: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression. Hungary signed the Rome Statute, the ICC’s founding treaty, in 1999 and ratified it in 2001.
