Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, under fire from opposition politicians following the resignation of President Katalin Novák, said on Monday in the Hungarian parliament that the government has never had, has not had, and will not have mercy for pedophiles.
Asked whether he knew about the pardon case that led to Novák’s resignation, Orbán said: “I reject provocative comments. The government has done everything to protect children.”
He added that in 2010, the last year of leftist rule in Hungary, 81 pedophile offenders were in prison, while in 2024, 663 will be in prison.
“The president of the republic granted clemency, but why she did so is a question that only she can answer,” the prime minister replied. He indicated that when it came to taking action against pedophiles, the left did not support the tightening of legislation, according to Hungarian news outlet Magyar Nemzet.
More than 500 pedophiles were on the loose under the left-wing government
Asked by opposition MPs from the left-centrist Momentum why the pardon was granted by Katalin Novák, Orbán said he could not answer because he is not authorized to answer in the name of the former president of the republic.
“The government acts reasonably in cases that come before it, and there is no room for leniency in pedophile matters,” he said.
He recalled that the opposition did not support the creation of a pedophile register, their proposal against pedophile child pornography, that sexual offenses should have no statute of limitations, or that pedophiles should not be allowed to do educational work.
“The left-wing governments have allowed more than 500 pedophiles to go free in Hungary; they have hidden the pedophiles, and cleaning up what we inherited has been enough trouble for the current government,” he said.
He added that strict measures had been taken since 2010, and support for the Hungarian child protection system is four times higher than it was under the left-wing government.
