The Budapest legislature has voted to withdraw Hungary from the International Criminal Court. The announcement was made by Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó on social media, IPN reports.
“With this decision, we refuse to be part of a politicized institution that has lost its impartiality and credibility,” said the head of Hungarian diplomacy.
Once the law is passed, Hungary must notify the United Nations of its withdrawal from the International Criminal Court. The decision will take effect in a year’s time.
Budapest signed the Rome Statute, the international treaty establishing the International Criminal Court, in 1999 and ratified it two years later.
The Hungarian authorities announced their intention to withdraw from the ICC at the beginning of April this year, the same day that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Budapest. Although there is an international arrest warrant out for him on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip, Netanyahu has not been detained, prompting the ICC to demand an explanation.
Hungary is not the first country to ignore ICC arrest warrants in recent years. In 2024, Mongolia ignored an international arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin on suspicion of illegally deporting children from the occupied territories of Ukraine to the Russian Federation.
The Rome Statute is an international treaty that created the International Criminal Court, a permanent international court with jurisdiction to try the most serious international crimes, such as genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and crimes of aggression.
To date, 123 states have signed or ratified the Rome Statute, and others are still in the process of considering signature and ratification. Countries that have ratified the Rome Statute include most countries in Europe, including the Republic of Moldova, several countries in South America, Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. The US signed the treaty during Bill Clinton’s presidency but never ratified it. Nor are Russia, China, India or Israel party to the agreement.
