On 18 March, Hungary’s Parliament swiftly passed a law that effectively bans Pride marches. The law prohibits assemblies deemed to violate the anti-LGBTI “Propaganda Law”, which falsely portrays LGBTI visibility as ‘harmful to children’. Under this law, authorities can ban Pride or other LGBTI events, fine participants, and sentence organisers to up to one year in prison. It also allows the use of facial recognition technology to track and identify participants, posing a serious threat to privacy and spreading fear. This law represents an urgent and severe violation of human rights, including the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly, expression, privacy and non-discrimination. Hungarian authorities must uphold the right to peaceful protest and ensure the 28 June Budapest Pride march can go ahead without unjust restrictions, intimidation, or violence. They must also repeal this discriminatory legislation and protect the rights of LGBTI individuals and communities.
