Hungarian Opposition Leader Thanked for Protest against Law on Benes Decrees

Budapest, 4 January (TASR-correspondent) - Leader of Hungary's extra-parliamentary opposition Tisza party Peter Magyar expressed gratitude on Facebook on Sunday to the young people who organised Saturday's (3 January) protest in front of the Slovak Embassy in Budapest against the new Slovak law protecting the post-WWII Benes Decrees, TASR has learnt from its Budapest correspondent. Magyar's Tisza party is the main political rival to ruling Fidesz party of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in the 2026 Hungarian general election to be held in April. "It was good to see that everyone except the Fidesz party felt it was important to send a joint message to Orban's friend in Slovakia [Prime Minister] Robert Fico that, in the 21st century in the EU, it's unacceptable to threaten people with prison for expressing their opinion," stated Magyar. If the Tisza party assumes power after the upcoming general election, all possible diplomatic and political means will be applied to force Slovakia to repeal this "shameful" law and allow negotiations on the abolition of the Benes Decrees, according to Magyar. He added that Slovakia would first be approached in a friendly manner and with the respect due to a sovereign country, but if there's no other option, the Slovak ambassador in Budapest would be asked to leave Hungary until the law is repealed. On Saturday evening, Hungarian university students organised a protest against a recent amendment to the Slovak Penal Code protecting the Benes Decrees, which introduces criminal liability for denying or questioning post-war documents on the arrangement of conditions after the Second World War in Slovakia. Before the protest, Magyar also announced his participation on Facebook and, allegedly, several opposition politicians appeared in the crowd. jrg