Hungarian authorities have pressed criminal charges against Géza Buzás-Hábel, a gay Roma teacher, for organizing a peaceful Pride march in Pécs, marking a significant escalation in the country’s crackdown on free assembly. This is reportedly the first case in the EU where a human rights defender faces up to a year in prison for organizing a Pride event, a move condemned by Europe’s human rights commissioner as a “move backwards.” The charges stem from a 2025 expansion of Hungary’s “Child Protection” law, which allows authorities to ban public gatherings that depict homosexuality on the grounds of protecting minors. While the European Commission is currently analyzing the legality of these assembly restrictions, the case highlights a broader pattern of state-led vilification targeting the LGBTQI+, Roma, and migrant communities.
Date: February 17, 2026. Source: euobserver.com