The Guardian: Viktor Orbán threatens the rule of law
The Guardian reports on the state of justice in Hungary. The British paper believes that the Hungarian government has too much influence over the judiciary, which is adding to concerns about the rule of law in Hungary. The Guardian cites a statement by a Hungarian judge as it examines the Hungarian court system.
Guardian article on the Hungarian judiciary
The British newspaper Guardian wrote an article on the impact of the Hungarian government on the judiciary. The Guardian Observer, citing a statement by a Hungarian judge, evaluates the Hungarian court system.
Csaba Vasvári has been a judge for 18 years. He is the spokesman for the National Council for the Judiciary. This organisation fights to defend the independence of judges. Vasvári told The Tap that he and his colleagues “have been witnessing external and internal influence attempts” for years.
Vasvári believes that political excesses come from all sides of the political spectrum. But Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his party Fidesz have ruled with a majority government for 12 years. Vasvári also mentioned a specific case. It involved a conversation between senior court officials with a key suspect in a corruption case, according to redacted secret documents leaked to the Hungarian media.
At the centre of the case was Pál Völner, a Fidesz MEP and former Deputy Minister of Justice. Völner was accused of accepting bribes, but he denies the charges. The judge appointed by the Fidesz-controlled parliament made a strange decision. The judicial inquiry into the case remains secret, not only from the public but also from fellow judges.
Judge Vasvári also complains that the President of the National Office for the Judiciary (NCOJ) does not make judicial appointments transparent. The President of the Court is responsible, among other things, for the management of the Hungarian court system. This is too much power, according to the European Commission and the European Council.
It is also worrying that relatively unqualified friends and family members of politicians hold senior positions in the court system, the article says.
Sensitive issues, many enemies
One judge, who did not want to be named, said the majority of cases are fair. But politically sensitive cases are handled in court by a “loyal panel of judges who will make decisions in favour of the government.”
“In the normal court [as a judge] you can struggle, you can try to be independent, you can do your best, but you know there is a leak in the system where there is water coming out,” the judge said. Asylum seekers, LGBTQ+ people, NGOs and independent media are the enemies of the Orbán government. That is why they are often put on the spot in the legislature, Index.hu writes.
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Source: index.hu, the Guardian