Hungary's parliament has voted overwhelmingly to cancel the country's withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC), as its new pro-EU government dismantles key policies introduced under longtime nationalist leader Viktor Orban.
Issued on: 28/05/2026 - RFI
The International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, in June 2024.
© Peter Dejong / AP
Orban announced Hungary's withdrawal last year, decrying the tribunal as a "political court". It came during a state visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a close Orban ally and the subject of an ICC arrest warrant over Israel's war in Gaza.
Prime Minister Peter Magyar, who won a landslide electoral victory in April, vowed he would reverse the exit process before it took effect on 2 June.
After fast-tracking a bill to repeal the legislation taking Hungary out of the ICC, he secured parliament's approval on Wednesday, with MPs voting by 133 to 37 to stay a member of the court.
Magyar has already indicated that Hungary remains committed to executing ICC warrants – including against Netanyahu, who has already accepted an invitation to visit Hungary later this year
Orban announced Hungary's withdrawal last year, decrying the tribunal as a "political court". It came during a state visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a close Orban ally and the subject of an ICC arrest warrant over Israel's war in Gaza.
Prime Minister Peter Magyar, who won a landslide electoral victory in April, vowed he would reverse the exit process before it took effect on 2 June.
After fast-tracking a bill to repeal the legislation taking Hungary out of the ICC, he secured parliament's approval on Wednesday, with MPs voting by 133 to 37 to stay a member of the court.
Magyar has already indicated that Hungary remains committed to executing ICC warrants – including against Netanyahu, who has already accepted an invitation to visit Hungary later this year
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, right, at Buda Castle in Budapest, Hungary, during a state visit on 3 April 2025. © Denes Erdos / AP
Victory for 'international legal order'
The ICC hailed an "important decision". The step is "essential to our shared objective of ensuring accountability for the gravest crimes, strengthening the international legal order, and supporting multilateral institutions", the court's legislative body said after Magyar's government announced last week it would cancel the withdrawal.
It is now up to President Tamas Sulyok, an Orban appointee, to sign the legislation into law.
The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in 2024 over allegations of crimes against humanity and war crimes in Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.
The move prompted the Israeli government to accuse the court of antisemitism and political interference, while its close ally the United States issued sanctions against top ICC judges and prosecutors.
Leaving the ICC would have made Hungary – one of the founding members of the ICC treaty – the only country in the European Union not to recognise the court's jurisdiction.
To date, only Burundi and the Philippines have withdrawn from the ICC.
Set up in 2002 and backed by 125 member states, the Hague-based tribunal seeks to prosecute individuals responsible for the world's gravest crimes when countries are unwilling or unable to do so themselves.
Since it was founded, the ICC has opened more than 30 cases for alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and offences against the administration of justice.
But it has been struggling against a lack of recognition and enforcement power.
Israel, the US, China and Russia are among countries that do not recognise the jurisdiction of the ICC, hampering its ability to investigate their nationals.
Netanyahu is due to visit Hungary for the anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Uprising in October.
"I believe that if the country is a member of the International Criminal Court, and a person who is wanted by the court enters our territory, then that person must be taken into custody," Magyar told reporters in April.
(with newswires)
Victory for 'international legal order'
The ICC hailed an "important decision". The step is "essential to our shared objective of ensuring accountability for the gravest crimes, strengthening the international legal order, and supporting multilateral institutions", the court's legislative body said after Magyar's government announced last week it would cancel the withdrawal.
It is now up to President Tamas Sulyok, an Orban appointee, to sign the legislation into law.
The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in 2024 over allegations of crimes against humanity and war crimes in Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.
The move prompted the Israeli government to accuse the court of antisemitism and political interference, while its close ally the United States issued sanctions against top ICC judges and prosecutors.
Leaving the ICC would have made Hungary – one of the founding members of the ICC treaty – the only country in the European Union not to recognise the court's jurisdiction.
To date, only Burundi and the Philippines have withdrawn from the ICC.
Set up in 2002 and backed by 125 member states, the Hague-based tribunal seeks to prosecute individuals responsible for the world's gravest crimes when countries are unwilling or unable to do so themselves.
Since it was founded, the ICC has opened more than 30 cases for alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and offences against the administration of justice.
But it has been struggling against a lack of recognition and enforcement power.
Israel, the US, China and Russia are among countries that do not recognise the jurisdiction of the ICC, hampering its ability to investigate their nationals.
Netanyahu is due to visit Hungary for the anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Uprising in October.
"I believe that if the country is a member of the International Criminal Court, and a person who is wanted by the court enters our territory, then that person must be taken into custody," Magyar told reporters in April.
(with newswires)
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