Responding to the news that the local prosecutor’s office has charged Géza Buzás-Hábel, the organizer of the 2025 Pécs Pride march, with a criminal offence punishable by up to one year in prison, Dávid Vig, Director of Amnesty International Hungary, said:
“We are outraged that the prosecutor has brought charges against Géza Buzás-Hábel. Rather than being threatened with a criminal sentence he should be commended for his courage in organizing the largest Pécs Pride in history. Géza did nothing wrong but instead was standing up for equality and for freedom of assembly.
“Together with our partners – the Háttér Society, the Hungarian Helsinki Committee and the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union – we stand with Géza and commit ourselves to defending him.”
This morning, the Pécs District Prosecutor’s Office informed Géza Buzás-Hábel that charges had been brought against him for organizing Pécs Pride. The prosecutor’s office has referred the case to Pécs District Court which could impose a sentence of up to one year imprisonment.
Géza Buzás-Hábel is a teacher and human rights activist who continued his activism even after the 2025 amendment to the law on assembly which banned protests supporting LGBTI protests and marches in Hungary.
Despite the fact that the police banned the event and the Supreme Court approved the ban, the 5th Pécs Pride took place on October 2025, under the slogan, “We will not bow to fear”. People peacefully protested against restrictions on the right of assembly and stood up for the equal rights of minorities, including the LMBTQI and Roma communities.