Thousands Rally in Hungary Against Government for Judicial Independence
Budapest, February 22, 2025 - Thousands of Hungarian judges, court staff, and supporters marched towards the Ministry of Justice in Budapest on Saturday, demanding judicial independence, freedom of expression for judges, and higher pay.
The independence of Hungary's courts has become a contentious issue, causing a rift between Prime Minister Viktor Orban's nationalist government and the European Union. In November, an agreement was signed between the government and the three main judicial representative bodies, linking salary increases to broad reforms. Critics argued that the National Judicial Council, an independent body with legal power and budget autonomy, was pressured into signing the agreement hastily and secretly, without proper consultation.
Judge Zoltan Endredy, one of the organizers of the protest, said, "That was the first time we thought we should organize the judges, to show that we are not a chain of butchers who can be told what to do, but the third branch of government."
The demonstrators also demanded more rights for judges to express their dissatisfaction and called for higher wages due to high turnover rates of court staff in central Hungary and Budapest. Judge Rita Kiszely said, "Our first cause is to protect judicial independence. We are not saying it has been eliminated. However, there are signs that it is under threat."
She also pointed out that there had been a lack of consultation with judicial bodies on key legislation in recent times.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Viktor Orban's chief of staff, Gergely Gulyas, stated that Hungary's constitution guarantees the independence of the judiciary. He added that the average salary of judges would reach 2.3 million Hungarian forints ($5,974) by 2027, marking a 50% increase over two years, while court staff salaries would be raised by 80-100%.
