Hungarian lawmakers have voted to approve the country’s withdrawal from the International Criminal Court. This comes days after the Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government stated that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has become a political body.
134 Fidesz KDNP MPs voted in support of the departure against 37 nays and 7 abstentions in today’s morning vote. The bill was fronted by Zsolt Semjen, the deputy minister of Hungary and chairman of KDNP, Hungary’s Christian Democratic Party.
On April 3, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Budapest for a visit in defiance of an ICC arrest warrant, Budapest openly rejected the idea of arresting the Israeli leader and called the warrant “brazen, cynical, and completely unacceptable”.
The ICC Presidency of the assembly of State Parties expressed concern at the move since Netanyahu was being sought for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
Why didn’t Hungary arrest Israeli Prime Minister?
The Hungarian authority later said that they did not arrest Netanyahu in Budapest because the Hungarian parliament never proclaimed the ICC statutes therefore and, as such, the document has not become part of the Hungarian law.
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According to the warrant, the Israeli Prime Minister should be arrested in any ICC member country, like Hungary.
Hungary signed the Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the International Criminal Court (ICC), on January 15, 1999, and ratified it on November 30, 2001, becoming the 47th State Party.
The Rome Statute entered into force on July 1, 2002, establishing the ICC as a permanent international court to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression.
What happens After Withdrawal
According to Article 127 of the Rome Statute, a state’s withdrawal becomes effective one year after the United Nations Secretary-General receives formal notification.
Therefore, Hungary’s withdrawal will take effect in 2026. Until then, Hungary remains obligated to cooperate with the ICC on matters arising before the withdrawal takes effect.
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This move makes Hungary the first European Union member state to initiate withdrawal from the ICC, drawing criticism from international bodies and human rights organizations concerned about the implications for international justice.
Member States of ICC
As of now, the International Criminal Court has 123 member countries (also called States Parties) that have ratified or acceded to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC.
These member countries agree to cooperate with the court in prosecuting individuals for crimes like genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and aggression.
The International Criminal Court was formed on July 1, 2002, and it focuses on investigating and prosecuting individuals for serious crimes such as genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression.
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