{"id":10163,"date":"2026-01-28T13:45:47","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T13:45:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=10163"},"modified":"2026-01-28T13:45:47","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T13:45:47","slug":"hungary-charges-budapest-mayor-for-allowing-banned-pride-march-human-rights-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=10163","title":{"rendered":"Hungary charges Budapest mayor for allowing banned pride march | Human Rights News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p class=\"article__subhead\"><em>Prosecutors seek fine against Mayor Gergely Karacsony \u2018without a trial\u2019.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"byline byline--single-avatar\">\n<div class=\"avatars-container\">\n<div class=\"responsive-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/8cf1b1e908e7453aa0e2d5a080fcfe32_6-1758090724.jpeg?resize=96%2C96&amp;quality=80 96w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 96px) 96px, 96px\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-dates\">\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Published On 28 Jan 2026<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">28 Jan 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-share\" data-testid=\"rich-share\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__button-wrapper\"><button class=\"rich-share__button row\" aria-expanded=\"false\"><\/p>\n<p>Click here to share on social media<\/p>\n<p><svg class=\"icon icon--share2 icon--primary icon--16 \" viewbox=\"0 0 20 16\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><title>share2<\/title><path fill=\"#000\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M11.688 9.048c-.659 0-1.252.282-1.673.733l-4.92-2.45c.016-.115.028-.232.028-.352 0-.117-.011-.23-.027-.343l4.913-2.423a2.285 2.285 0 0 0 1.68.739C12.964 4.952 14 3.899 14 2.6 14 1.302 12.965.25 11.688.25S9.377 1.302 9.377 2.601c0 .117.01.23.027.343L4.49 5.367a2.285 2.285 0 0 0-1.68-.739C1.536 4.628.5 5.681.5 6.979c0 1.299 1.035 2.35 2.312 2.35.659 0 1.252-.281 1.673-.731l4.92 2.45a2.357 2.357 0 0 0-.029.351c0 1.299 1.035 2.351 2.312 2.351S14 12.698 14 11.399s-1.035-2.35-2.312-2.35Z\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"rich-share__social-text\">Share<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>Hungarian prosecutors have charged Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony over his role in arranging last year\u2019s gay pride march in the capital city, which attracted hundreds of thousands of people despite a ban.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors have \u201cfiled charges and seek a fine against the mayor of Budapest, who organised and led a public gathering despite a police ban\u201d, their office said in a statement announcing the case on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<section class=\"more-on\">\n<h2 class=\"more-on__heading\">Recommended Stories<!-- --> <\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list of 3 items<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>\u201cThe district prosecutor\u2019s office proposed that the court impose a fine on the defendant in a summary judgement without a trial,\u201d the statement added without including the amount of the fine sought against Karacsony.<\/p>\n<p>Since returning to power in 2010, Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been tightening his grip over the country and has targeted groups advocating for human rights.<\/p>\n<p>Orban\u2019s conservative government has also pushed for legislation promoting traditional family values and steadily rolled back LGBTQ rights.<\/p>\n<p>In 2025, his Fidesz party amended laws and the constitution to ban the annual pride march, drawing protests from critics and the European Union.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"proud-defendant\">\u2018Proud defendant\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>After the ban was imposed last year, Budapest City Hall stepped in to co-organise the annual event to try to sidestep the regulations, but police still issued their objections, and Orban warned organisers and attendees of \u201clegal consequences\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>On Wednesday, Karacsony reacted to the charges by saying he went from a \u201cproud suspect to a proud defendant\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey don\u2019t even want a trial \u2026 because they can\u2019t even comprehend that here in this city, we have stood up for freedom in the face of a selfish, petty, and despicable power,\u201d he said on Facebook.<\/p>\n<p>In a post on X, Ciaran Cuffe, cochairman of the EU\u2019s European Greens party, called the charges \u201coutrageous\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>In a separate post, the European Greens said the party stands with Karacsony, who is a member of Dialogue, the Greens\u2019 party affiliate in Hungary.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the ban on the march, it became \u201cthe biggest freedom march in decades\u201d, proving that \u201clove can\u2019t be banned\u201d, the party added.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"facing-a-year-in-prison\">Facing a year in prison<\/h2>\n<p>Karacsony\u00a0could face up to one year in prison for organising and urging participation in a banned rally.<\/p>\n<p>Participants could also face fines of up to 500 euros (nearly $600) for attending Budapest Pride although police announced in July they would not take action against the marchers.<\/p>\n<p>Organisers of the June march estimated that up to 200,000 people took part in the 30th annual Budapest Pride.<\/p>\n<p>The rally began at Budapest City Hall and wound through the city centre before crossing the Erzsebet Bridge over the Danube River.<\/p>\n<p>The crowds waved rainbow flags and carried signs mocking Orban.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3804532\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3804532\" style=\"width:770px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-3804532\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/2025-06-27T233325Z_1122247831_RC2GKDA1QU6I_RTRMADP_3_HUNGARY-LGBT-PRIDE-1751102271.jpg?w=770&amp;resize=770%2C513&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"FILE PHOTO: A woman lights a cigarette placed in a placard depicting Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, during a demonstration, after the Hungarian parliament passed a law that bans LGBTQ+ communities from holding the annual Pride march and allows a broader constraint on freedom of assembly, in Budapest, Hungary, March 25, 2025. REUTERS\/Marton Monus\/File Photo\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3804532\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A woman lights a cigarette placed in a placard depicting Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on March 25, 2025, in Budapest during a demonstration after the Hungarian Parliament passed a law that banned the annual pride march [Marton Monus\/Reuters]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Prosecutors seek fine against Mayor Gergely Karacsony \u2018without a trial\u2019. Published On 28 Jan 202628 Jan 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Hungarian prosecutors have charged Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony over his role in arranging last year\u2019s gay pride march in the capital city, which attracted hundreds of thousands of people [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10164,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10163"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10163\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10164"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}