Attempts to Silence Judicial Dissent: The cases of Judge András Kovács and X, a senior scientific advisor at the Kúria

Breaches of judges’ freedom of expression of judges have been a long-standing problem in Hungary. The individual instances may not be as blatant as in the case of Poland; however, the issue is persistent: for a long time, pressure through different administrative means has been put on judges speaking out in defence of the separation of powers and judicial independence. Two recent cases from Hungary’s apex court illustrate the problem clearly.

Our paper summarises two emblematic cases on how the leadership of Hungary’s apex court, the Kúria, has sought to restrict the freedom of expression of judges and court-affiliated academics who had been critical of internal practices.

These case studies demonstrate how integrity procedures, administrative measures, and disciplinary actions are used to exert pressure on members of the judiciary who speak out in defence of judicial independence and the rule of law.  Stronger safeguards are needed to protect judicial freedom of expression in Hungary, aligning with European human rights standards.

Read the brief here.