Hungary‘s parliament on Tuesday approved a bill initiating a year-long withdrawal from the International Criminal Court, which Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government called “political.”
Orban’s government announced the move on April 3, shortly after Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Hungary for a state visit in a rare trip abroad in defiance of an ICC arrest warrant. The ICC’s Presidency of the Assembly of State Parties expressed concern at the move.
The International Criminal Court was set up more than two decades ago to prosecute those accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
Orban Slams ICC ‘Bias’
Orban last month said the ICC was “no longer an impartial court, a rule-of-law court, but rather a political court.”
Hungary has rejected the idea of arresting the Israeli prime minister and has called the warrant “brazen”.
Hungary is a founding member of the ICC and ratified its founding document in 2001. However, the law has not been promulgated.
The bill to withdraw from the ICC passed on Tuesday with 134 members voting in favour and 37 against.
“Hungary firmly rejects the use of international organisations – in particular criminal courts – as instruments of political influence,” the bill, submitted by Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjen, said on parliament’s website.
Netanyahu Welcomes Hungary’s Move
Netanyahu called Hungary’s decision to leave the ICC a “bold and principled decision”.
The Israeli prime minister faces an ICC arrest warrant over allegations of war crimes in Gaza as Israel expands its military operation in the Palestinian enclave. Netanyahu has denied the allegations.
A country’s withdrawal from the ICC comes into effect one year after the United Nations Secretary-General receives a written notification of the decision.
ICC Prosecutor On Leave
ICC’s chief prosecutor Karim Khan has taken a leave of absence amid an ongoing investigation into alleged misconduct, the court’s management body announced.
Khan, the only ICC official targeted by U.S. sanctions earlier this year, has been under investigation for sexual harassment by an external United Nations body since late 2023.
On Sunday, the Assembly of States Parties (ASP)—the ICC’s governing body—stated that Khan had informed the court of his decision to step aside on Friday, pending the outcome of the probe being conducted by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS).
During Khan’s absence, deputy prosecutors Nazhat Shameem Khan and Mame Mandiaye Niang will lead the prosecutor’s office.
(With inputs from Reuters)
