Dec- Wed- 10 2025
A Hungarian teacher has become the first person in the EU to face criminal charges for organising a Pride march, marking a major escalation in the country’s crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights.
• Who: Géza Buzás-Hábel, a gay Roma teacher and activist, long-time organiser of Pécs Pride.
• What: He is under criminal investigation for organising the October 2025 Pride march in Pécs, despite a police ban upheld by Hungary’s Supreme Court.
• Legal basis: Hungary’s April 2025 amendments explicitly criminalised LGBTQI+ themed assemblies, allowing fines, imprisonment (up to one year), and surveillance using facial recognition.
• Historic precedent: This is the first time in EU history that a Pride organiser faces criminal prosecution under national law.
• Event turnout: Thousands still participated in the march, defying the ban.
• Charges: Authorities accuse Buzás-Hábel of “providing the means to peaceful protest,” effectively criminalising his role as organiser.
Reactions:
• Human rights groups: Amnesty International and the European Roma Rights Centre condemned the investigation as a violation of fundamental freedoms—peaceful assembly, free expression, and non-discrimination.
• Activist response: Buzás-Hábel has spoken out, framing the case as an attack on both LGBTQ+ rights and Roma identity.
• International concern: The case is seen as a dangerous precedent within the EU, raising alarm about Hungary’s broader erosion of democratic rights.
Why it matters?
• Escalation of anti-LGBTQ+ laws: Hungary’s move represents one of the harshest legal crackdowns in Europe.
• EU implications: Sets a troubling precedent for criminalising peaceful protest, challenging the EU’s human rights framework.
• Symbolic impact: The prosecution highlights the intersection of minority rights LGBTQ+ and Roma under increasing pressure in Hungary.
(Source – The Guardian)
—Owned Sources
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