At an event on Monday devoted to the work of the prosecution service in Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that the rule of law has been restored in Hungary, with the justice system operating more efficiently than previously.
The Prime Minister said that ‘Gone are the days when shocking crimes went unpunished, and anyone could plan an offence expecting to get away with it. Gone too are the days when the police could indiscriminately round up large numbers of innocent, peaceful demonstrators.’ The latter was a reference to brutal police tactics in 2006 by riot squads not wearing any identifying badges – actions which the then Gyurcsány government and police authorities did nothing to prevent or punish.
Mr. Orbán added, however, that the justice system – including prosecutors – still faces many challenges on the road to renewal in Hungary.
The Prime Minister said that before 2010 Hungary was in a state of disintegration, there were areas where the rule of law could not operate (or only in a limited sense), and some members of the political class felt that they were above the law. These processes undermined the moral basis of society and destroyed people's sense of security. In the course of restoring the rule of law prosecutors are prime allies of the Government.
The Prime Minister asked prosecutors to take all measures open to them under the law to deliver appropriate punishment to the guilty and to protect the innocent.
He also said that the present government is composed of a generation which respects those lawyers who contributed to their knowledge and skill.
Listing the achievements of the past two years, he said that the new Fundamental Law has clearly defined the place and role of prosecution services. The Government has established a uniform organisation for prosecutors, and specified the non-penal tasks of prosecution services, he said, adding that Hungary's new Penal and Civil Codes will soon be complete.
The Prime Minister said his aim is for no crime to go unpunished and for no law-abiding person to be forced to live in fear. The work of prosecutors is vital in the realisation of this.
(kormany.hu)
