Hungary is planning a resignation from the criminal court-Netanyahu visit causes excitement!

Hungary is planning a resignation from the criminal court-Netanyahu visit causes excitement!

Vienna, Österreich - Today, on April 3, 2025, Hungary officially announced the resignation from the International Criminal Court (ICC). This decision was communicated by the Minister of Chancellor Gergely Gulyás and the procedure for the end of membership will be initiated on the same day. With this step, Hungary will be the first EU state to leave the Roman statute, which forms the basis for the ICC, which has its headquarters in the Haag, the Netherlands and was founded on July 1, 2002.

The resignation takes place within the framework of Hungarian constitutional law and international law. Hungary had previously had formal cooperation agreements with the ICC, but does not see the decisions of this court bound. It is particularly noteworthy that the announcement coincides with the visiting of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Hungary. Netanyahu was, despite an international arrest warrant of the ICC, which was issued in November 2023 and encompasses serious allegations against him how crimes against humanity and war crimes in connection with Israeli military use in Gaza Strip, invited by Premier Viktor Orbán.

context of the visit of Netanyahu

The allegations against Netanyahu are related to a continuing conflict that has been raging since October 2023, in which Israel reacted to Hamas attacks. According to reports, these clashes led to tens of thousands of dead and massive destruction in the Gaza Strip. During the visit to Hungary, Orbán said that Netanyahu was not arrested, which in question in Hungary in the international community and the legitimacy of the ICC. Experts point out that Hungary is obliged to enforce the arrest warrant both by signing and by the theoretical ratification of the Roman statute, but many interpret the current steps as an attempt to avoid these obligations.

The immunity of Netanyahu as head of state could actually protect him from immediate arrest, but remains unclear how future relationships between Hungary and the ICC will influence. The ITGH acts on the basis of its complementary jurisdiction, which is subordinate to national jurisdiction. This means that it can only be active if there are no suitable criminal measures in the states concerned.

episodes for Hungary and the ISTGH

Experts warn that Hungary's decision to withdraw from the ICC could not only undermine the international legal system, but could also encourage other nations to ignore arrest warrants against leading politicians. While Hungary could benefit from the exclusion from the ICC on a symbolic level, it remains unclear whether this will strengthen its authority in the long term.

The decisions are in contrast to the efforts of the ICC, which is recognized as an important actor to pursue genocide, crimes against humanity, crimes of aggression and war crimes and determined worldwide in several conflict situations until December 2024, including in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Afghanistan.

Development in the Hungarian case could not only influence the relationship with other EU countries, but also impair the entire credibility and the functioning of the ICC on the international parquet. The question remains how the international community will react to Hungary's sudden step and what further effects this could have on the global legal landscape.

For further information you can report the reports from vienna.at , Tagesschau and wikipedia