Hungarian lawmakers approve bill to quit ICC
Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban said the ICC was 'a political court'. (EPA Images pic)
BUDAPEST : Hungary's parliament approved a bill on Tuesday that will start the country's year-long withdrawal process from the International Criminal Court, which Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government said has become 'political'.
Orban's government announced the move on April 3, shortly after Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Hungary for a state visit in a rare trip abroad, in defiance of an ICC arrest warrant. The ICC's Presidency of the Assembly of State Parties expressed concern at the move.
The ICC was set up more than two decades ago to prosecute those accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
Orban said last month the ICC was 'no longer an impartial court, a rule-of-law court, but rather a political court.'
Hungary has rejected the idea of arresting the Israeli prime minister and has called the warrant 'brazen'.
Hungary is a founding member of the ICC and ratified its founding document in 2001. However, the law has not been promulgated.
The bill to withdraw from the ICC passed on Tuesday with 134 members voting in favour and 37 against.
'Hungary firmly rejects the use of international organisations – in particular criminal courts – as instruments of political influence,' the bill, submitted by deputy prime minister Zsolt Semjen, said on parliament's website.
Netanyahu called Hungary's decision to leave the ICC a 'bold and principled decision'.
The Israeli prime minister faces an ICC arrest warrant over allegations of war crimes in Gaza as Israel expands its military operation in the Palestinian enclave. Netanyahu has denied the allegations.
A country's withdrawal from the ICC comes into effect one year after the United Nations secretary-general receives a written notification of the decision.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malay Mail
7 hours ago
- Malay Mail
French mayor to face trial for alleged sex tape blackmail of political rival
LYON, June 7 — A French mayor accused of using a sex tape to blackmail a political rival is set to go on trial in September after a court yesterday ordered him to face criminal proceedings. Gael Perdriau, who leads the city of Saint-Etienne in central France, is accused of orchestrating the plot in 2015, using footage of his deputy with a male escort. The two magistrates investigating the case ordered that Perdriau, 52, be tried for blackmail, theft, embezzlement of public funds by a public official and participation in a criminal association, Lyon's chief prosecutor Thierry Dran said in a statement. The case, triggered by a whistleblower in 2022, involves a 2015 video of former deputy mayor Gilles Artigues receiving a massage from a male escort in a Paris hotel. Perdriau allegedly demanded political loyalty and electoral concessions from Artigues in return for keeping the compromising video private, according to court documents seen by AFP. Despite being ousted from the conservative Republicans party and under pressure to resign, Perdriau has maintained his innocence and continues to hold office—even hinting at a 2026 re-election bid. The trial is set to take place between September 22 and 26, pending any appeals, the prosecutor added. Perdriau declined to comment when contacted by AFP on Friday, while his lawyers could not be reached for comment. — AFP
The Sun
9 hours ago
- The Sun
Israel army announces 4 soldiers killed in Gaza, thousands more troops needed
JERUSALEM: Israel's military announced Friday the deaths of four soldiers in Gaza, saying it needed thousands more troops to press its offensive, just as the premier's coalition faces the prospect of collapse over ultra-Orthodox conscription. News of the soldiers' deaths came as Gaza's civil defence agency reported 38 killed Friday in Israeli attacks across the territory, where Palestinians observed the Eid al-Adha holiday under the shadow of war for a second consecutive year. Military spokesman Effie Defrin said the four soldiers were killed as they 'were operating in the Khan Yunis area, in a compound belonging to the Hamas terrorist organisation'. 'Around six in the morning, an explosive device detonated, causing part of the structure to collapse,' he said, adding that five other soldiers were wounded, one of them severely. 'The losses suffered today by the occupation in Khan Younis... illustrate what the occupation forces will face wherever they are present,' said a statement attributed to Abu Obeida, spokesman for the armed of Hamas, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, while urging the Israeli public to 'force its leaders to end the war of extermination or prepare to receive more of its sons in coffins'. The deaths bring to 429 the number of Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza since the start of the ground offensive in late October 2023. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu extended his condolences to the soldiers' families, saying they 'sacrificed their lives for the safety of all of us'. Israel recently stepped up its Gaza campaign in what it says is a renewed push to defeat Hamas, whose October 7, 2023 attack sparked the war. - Conscription row - Asked by a reporter about the issue of ultra-Orthodox conscription, which has emerged as a thorn in the side of Netanyahu's government, Defrin said 'this is the need of the moment, an operational necessity'. The army was short around 10,000 soldiers, he added, including about 6,000 in combat roles, adding that 'tens of thousands more notices will be issued in the upcoming draft cycle'. The conscription issue has threatened to sink Netanyahu's government, with ultra-Orthodox religious parties warning they will pull out of his coalition if Netanyahu fails to make good on a promise to codify the military exemption for their community in law. At the same time, much of the public has turned against the exemption amid the increasing strain put on reservists' families by repeated call-up orders during the war. In April, a military representative told a parliamentary committee that of 18,000 draft notices sent to ultra-Orthodox individuals, only 232 received a positive response. Netanyahu's office announced shortly after 1:00 am on Friday that he had met with a lawmaker from his Likud party who has recently pushed for a bill aimed at increasing the ultra-Orthodox enlistment and toughening sanctions on those who refuse. The premier's office said 'significant progress was made', with 'unresolved issues' to be ironed out later. Netanyahu also faced scrutiny after he admitted to supporting an armed group in Gaza that opposes Hamas. Knesset member and ex-defence minister Avigdor Liberman had told the Kan public broadcaster that the government, at Netanyahu's direction, was 'giving weapons to a group of criminals and felons'. The European Council on Foreign Relations think tank describes the group a 'criminal gang operating in the Rafah area that is widely accused of looting aid trucks'. - 'He wears a white shroud' - The humanitarian situation in Gaza, meanwhile, has reached dire lows, with residents enduring severe shortages of food and other essentials, even after a more than two-month Israeli blockade on aid was recently eased. The shortages have made it all but impossible for many Gazans to celebrate Eid al-Adha, which fell on Friday and is traditionally marked with huge family meals and gifts of new clothes. Suad al-Qarra told AFP from Nasser Hospital on Friday that her son never got a chance to wear his new clothes. 'He went to get dressed and there was an explosion,' she said, her soft voice breaking. 'I took him to the hospital and (they) found him dead.' 'They took the children from us,' she continued. 'I bought him Eid clothes yesterday and he didn't wear them, instead he wears a white shroud.' In the Muslim faith, Eid commemorates the sacrifice Ibrahim -- known to Christians and Jews as Abraham -- was about to make by killing his son, before the angel Gabriel intervened and offered him a sheep to sacrifice instead. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday's strikes. Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. According to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, at least 4,402 people have been killed since Israel resumed its offensive on March 18 after a brief truce, taking the war's overall toll to 54,677, mostly civilians.
The Sun
9 hours ago
- The Sun
Israel army announces 4 soldiers killed in Gaza
JERUSALEM: Israel's military announced Friday the deaths of four soldiers in Gaza, saying it needed thousands more troops to press its offensive, just as the premier's coalition faces the prospect of collapse over ultra-Orthodox conscription. News of the soldiers' deaths came as Gaza's civil defence agency reported 38 killed Friday in Israeli attacks across the territory, where Palestinians observed the Eid al-Adha holiday under the shadow of war for a second consecutive year. Military spokesman Effie Defrin said the four soldiers were killed as they 'were operating in the Khan Yunis area, in a compound belonging to the Hamas terrorist organisation'. 'Around six in the morning, an explosive device detonated, causing part of the structure to collapse,' he said, adding that five other soldiers were wounded, one of them severely. 'The losses suffered today by the occupation in Khan Younis... illustrate what the occupation forces will face wherever they are present,' said a statement attributed to Abu Obeida, spokesman for the armed of Hamas, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, while urging the Israeli public to 'force its leaders to end the war of extermination or prepare to receive more of its sons in coffins'. The deaths bring to 429 the number of Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza since the start of the ground offensive in late October 2023. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu extended his condolences to the soldiers' families, saying they 'sacrificed their lives for the safety of all of us'. Israel recently stepped up its Gaza campaign in what it says is a renewed push to defeat Hamas, whose October 7, 2023 attack sparked the war. - Conscription row - Asked by a reporter about the issue of ultra-Orthodox conscription, which has emerged as a thorn in the side of Netanyahu's government, Defrin said 'this is the need of the moment, an operational necessity'. The army was short around 10,000 soldiers, he added, including about 6,000 in combat roles, adding that 'tens of thousands more notices will be issued in the upcoming draft cycle'. The conscription issue has threatened to sink Netanyahu's government, with ultra-Orthodox religious parties warning they will pull out of his coalition if Netanyahu fails to make good on a promise to codify the military exemption for their community in law. At the same time, much of the public has turned against the exemption amid the increasing strain put on reservists' families by repeated call-up orders during the war. In April, a military representative told a parliamentary committee that of 18,000 draft notices sent to ultra-Orthodox individuals, only 232 received a positive response. Netanyahu's office announced shortly after 1:00 am on Friday that he had met with a lawmaker from his Likud party who has recently pushed for a bill aimed at increasing the ultra-Orthodox enlistment and toughening sanctions on those who refuse. The premier's office said 'significant progress was made', with 'unresolved issues' to be ironed out later. Netanyahu also faced scrutiny after he admitted to supporting an armed group in Gaza that opposes Hamas. Knesset member and ex-defence minister Avigdor Liberman had told the Kan public broadcaster that the government, at Netanyahu's direction, was 'giving weapons to a group of criminals and felons'. The European Council on Foreign Relations think tank describes the group a 'criminal gang operating in the Rafah area that is widely accused of looting aid trucks'. - 'He wears a white shroud' - The humanitarian situation in Gaza, meanwhile, has reached dire lows, with residents enduring severe shortages of food and other essentials, even after a more than two-month Israeli blockade on aid was recently eased. The shortages have made it all but impossible for many Gazans to celebrate Eid al-Adha, which fell on Friday and is traditionally marked with huge family meals and gifts of new clothes. Suad al-Qarra told AFP from Nasser Hospital on Friday that her son never got a chance to wear his new clothes. 'He went to get dressed and there was an explosion,' she said, her soft voice breaking. 'I took him to the hospital and (they) found him dead.' 'They took the children from us,' she continued. 'I bought him Eid clothes yesterday and he didn't wear them, instead he wears a white shroud.' In the Muslim faith, Eid commemorates the sacrifice Ibrahim -- known to Christians and Jews as Abraham -- was about to make by killing his son, before the angel Gabriel intervened and offered him a sheep to sacrifice instead. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday's strikes. Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. According to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, at least 4,402 people have been killed since Israel resumed its offensive on March 18 after a brief truce, taking the war's overall toll to 54,677, mostly civilians.
