Overview
- District prosecutors filed charges on January 28 against Gergely Karácsony for organizing and leading a prohibited assembly and proposed a penal order to impose a fine without a trial.
- Karácsony had reclassified the 2025 Pride as a municipal event after police banned it under the child-protection law, and the march proceeded peacefully with organizers estimating more than 200,000 participants.
- The indictment cites his public calls to attend despite the ban; Karácsony acknowledged the facts, described himself as a proud defendant, and later said he will insist on a trial to argue his case.
- Under the amended legal framework, organizing a banned rally was reported to carry potential prison time of up to one year, though prosecutors in this case are pursuing a financial penalty.
- Human rights groups and European politicians denounced the prosecution as part of wider curbs on civil liberties in Hungary, with the case unfolding ahead of parliamentary elections on April 12.