Hungarian President Katalin Novák pardoned a pedophile criminal. Thousands are now demonstrating and demanding her resignation. Orbán also opposes them.
The scandal surrounding Hungarian President Katalin Novák’s handling of the issue of pedophilia continues to cause outrage in the Danube region. Despite drizzle, thousands of demonstrators demanded the resignation of the head of state on Friday evening in front of the presidential palace, Hungarian media reported.
The opposition party Momentum as well as student associations and other clubs called for this. At the end, the angry crowd threw numerous stuffed animals in front of the door of the presidential palace in Budapest’s Castle District as a symbol of the threatened children.
Orbán distances himself
It was recently announced that Novak had pardoned a man who had been legally convicted of aiding and abetting the sexual abuse of children and young people. The right-wing populist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán then hastily submitted a proposal to parliament on Thursday evening to change the constitution, according to which criminals whose crimes victimize children should generally not be pardoned. For the first time, Orbán distanced himself from his political colleague Novak. She promised to support such a constitutional change and went on an official visit to Qatar.
Orbán said in a video posted on his Facebook profile: “There is no mercy for pedophile perpetrators. That is my personal belief. A discussion has arisen about the legal framework for pardons by the President.” He did not mention Novák’s name. She was a leading politician in Orbán’s Fidesz party until she took office in 2022 and was elected president by parliament at the prime minister’s suggestion. As family minister, she had previously propagated a traditional image of the family and women.
Orbán’s government particularly wants to be seen as a protector of children from sexual violence. In 2021, she implemented a controversial “child protection law” that prohibits teaching children about homosexuality in schools. Distributors of relevant publications are also obliged to make them inaccessible to minors. Critics say the spirit of this law equates homosexuality with pedophilia.
He ran a children’s home
The man pardoned by Novak was the deputy head of a children’s home in Bicske near Budapest. According to the court ruling, he forced children to recant their testimonies as victims of abuse against the home director in order to exonerate his boss. The home director was sentenced to eight years in prison. His deputy, who has now been pardoned, received a prison sentence of three years and four months.
The pardon had already taken place in May 2023, on the occasion of Pope Francis’ visit to Budapest. Novák did not comment on the motives. Opposition media suspect that the pardonee has good relations with the Catholic Church and Viktor Orbán’s family.
According to Hungarian media reports, a company began a telephone poll to determine whether the majority of citizens support Novák’s resignation. Readers of the newspaper “HVG” reported to the editorial team that they had received calls from pollsters. The company in question has already carried out several surveys on behalf of Orbán’s Fidesz party in the past.
