Chief of Staff Gergely Gulyas told MTI:
On Thursday, the government is initiating the withdrawal process, in accordance with constitutional and international legal frameworks.
"The International Criminal Court (ICC) was originally a respectable initiative, but in recent years, it has turned into a political body. The indictment of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is the most unfortunate example of this transformation," he added, citing the reason why the Hungarian government finds the ICC's current direction unacceptable and has decided to cease participation in its work.
Hungary has always been in a peculiar legal situation regarding the ICC: Unlike other ICC member states, the Hungarian Parliament never promulgated the ICC’s statute. As a result, ICC rulings are not incorporated in Hungarian domestic law, meaning that no one can currently be arrested or prosecuted in Hungary based on ICC decisions, Gulyas pointed out.
Instead of resolving this ambiguity by ratifying the statute, Hungary has chosen to formally exit the ICC.
Gulyas noted that the ICC has faced significant international criticism, including from major global powers. The United States, China, and Turkey have never been ICC members. The U.S. Congress, with bipartisan support, recently even moved to impose sanctions on ICC judges.
Even within Europe, leaders have expressed opposition to the ICC’s recent actions. The future German chancellor and Poland’s current prime minister have stated that, despite their countries’ legal obligations, they would ignore the ICC’s decisions and gladly welcome Netanyahu on their soil.
These examples, Gulyas argued, also underscore that the ICC has "strayed from its original purpose". As the ICC has become a politicized court, Hungary no longer wishes to be a member, he concluded.
Cover Photo: Gergely Gulyas, head of the Hungarian Prime Minister's Office, at the event of the National University of Public Service entitled "Government Formation in Germany and Perspectives of Hungarian-German Relations", in Budapest, March 31, 2025 (Photo: MTI/Boglarka Bodnar )
