The president of Hungary was forced to resign after she pardoned a man convicted of covering up sexual assaults on children at a state-run children's home.
Katalin Novak (46 years old) issued a presidential pardon in April 2023, but it did not come to light until recent days.
After protests across the country, Novak said on Saturday: “I issued an amnesty that caused confusion and confusion for many people. I made a mistake.”
Ms. Novak is a key ally of HungaryRight-wing prime minister Viktor Orbán.
She was the first woman to become president when she assumed this position in 2022, and the youngest person in the country's history.
Protesters demand Ms Novak's resignation on the Chain Bridge in Budapest. Photo: Reuters
The defendant in the case was sentenced to more than three years in prison in 2018 after he pressured the victims of the children’s home director to silence them.
The head of the organization was sentenced to eight years in prison on charges of assaulting at least 10 children between 2004 and 2016.
Also involved in the scandal was former Justice Minister Judit Varga, who supported the president's decision at the time.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, Ms Varga said she would also step down – and “retire from public life, resigning from my seat as an MP and also as leader of the European Parliament list”.
Protesters in Budapest. Photo: Reuters
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Novak's Fidesz party, which has been in power since 2010, is facing turmoil as its leader Orban confronts allegations of election fraud and media censorship.
She was a staunch supporter of it and a strong advocate of “traditional family values” and the protection of children.
Her statement added: “Based on the request for pardon and the information available, I decided in April of last year in favor of pardon, believing that the convict did not exploit the vulnerability of the children entrusted to him.”
“I made a mistake, because the pardon and the lack of justification would have raised doubts about zero tolerance for child sexual abuse. But here, there is and cannot be any doubt.”
