Hungarian Prosecutors Drop Charges Against Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony

Hungarian prosecutors have dropped charges against Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony, who was accused of violating law by organizing a banned LGBTQ+ rights rally. The charges were dismissed following a ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union, which declared Hungary's 2021 'child protection' law violative of EU law.

In a significant development, Hungarian prosecutors have decided to drop charges against Budapest's liberal Mayor Gergely Karacsony. The charges were linked to his role in organizing an LGBTQ+ rights rally turned protest in 2025, which defied a police ban and became a mass demonstration against the then Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

The charges were initially filed in January, just before a landmark election, accusing Karacsony of bypassing legalities by registering the event as a municipal one that did not require a permit. The event drew tens of thousands of participants and proceeded without incident.

The prosecutors' decision came in the light of a European Court of Justice ruling that found Hungary's 'child protection' law, the basis for banning the Pride event, in violation of EU statutes. The court deemed the law as unlawfully restrictive against homosexuality and gender variance.