Budapest, Hungary – Hungary’s Top Court Strikes Down New Religion Law
Budapest, Hungary – Hungary’s Constitutional Court has struck down the country’s restrictive new church law as well as parts of its disputed media law and the criminal code.
The Constitutional Court findings published Monday were a spirited response to Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government, which, backed by a two-thirds majority in Parliament, has been pushing through legislation at a chaotic pace.
The church law, which would have gone into effect Jan. 1, only included 14 Christian churches and Jewish congregations, forcing all others to seek recognition from two-thirds of Hungary’s lawmakers.
The court also rejected aspects of the media law, including rules on content regulation and confidential sources.