Sawt Falasteen - Hungary drops charges against organisers of banned Pride marches

Budapest's progressive mayor, Gergely Karacsony, was charged in January for organising the city's 30th Pride parade despite an official ban ordered under the former prime minister, nationalist Viktor Orban.

But in April, the European Court of Justice found that Hungary's 2021 anti-LGBTQ legislation -- which served as the basis for the ban -- was in breach of EU rules.

Since the ban was based on "a provision that was later found to violate EU law, the facts described in the prosecutor's indictment no longer constitute a criminal offence," prosecutors said in a statement.

Charges against activist Geza Buzas-Habel, who organised Hungary's only Pride march outside the capital, have also been dismissed for the same reason.

Police told AFP last week they would allow this year's Budapest Pride to take place on June 27 as they found "no grounds for prohibiting" the event.

Last year more than 200,000 people took part in Budapest Pride in June, and thousands participated in the other in the university city of Pecs in October.

The record turnouts were seen as a strong rebuke of Orban's years-long clampdown on LGBTQ rights in the name of "child protection".

Budapest mayor Karacsony stepped in to co-organise the event in an effort to sidestep the regulations, but prosecutors still sought to impose a fine on him.

- NGOs call for repeal -

Hungarian rights groups said they were "extremely pleased" that the courage of the Pride organisers and participants "have paid off".

"The current court rulings vindicate the work and perseverance of all those who believed that the right to assembly is a fundamental right and did not allow the previous government's arbitrariness to deprive us of this right and our freedom," read a joint statement signed by four prominent NGOs, including Amnesty International.

The rights groups called on the new government to formally repeal the 2021 anti-LGBTQ law, also urging far-reaching constitutional reform to ensure equality for LGBTQ people.

Prime Minister Peter Magyar, a pro-EU conservative who ousted Orban from office after 16 years in April elections, has regularly voiced support for equality and freedom of assembly.

But he has not specifically endorsed the Pride parade, nor moved to reverse a slew of laws passed under Orban that have restricted LGBTQ rights.

M.AlAhmad--SF-PST