Hungarian President Resigns Amidst Pedophilia Scandal
Hungarian President Katalin Nowak has announced her resignation during a live television broadcast, following intense scrutiny over her decision to pardon a convicted individual involved in a case of sexual abuse at an orphanage.
Nowak’s resignation came on Saturday, February 10th, amidst mounting criticism from opposition parties in Hungary regarding her pardon of the deputy director of an orphanage. The individual in question had been convicted of covering up incidents of child sexual abuse.
In her televised address, President Nowak admitted her error, stating, “I was wrong. There is no doubt here and cannot be. I will never forgive anyone who abuses children. Protecting children is our common responsibility.”
Alongside President Nowak, Justice Minister Judit Varga also tendered her resignation and recommended that Nowak sign the pardon documents.
The controversy stems from Nowak’s decision in April 2023 to grant pardons to 25 individuals during the visit of the Pope to Hungary. Last week, the identities of those pardoned were made public, revealing the involvement of the orphanage’s deputy director, who had been convicted for concealing evidence of abuse committed by the orphanage’s director.
The director had previously been sentenced to eight years in prison for acts of bullying and violence against children in the orphanage, located near Budapest. Additionally, a separate individual received a three-year prison sentence for coercing orphans into retracting their complaints against the director.
Following the uproar caused by the scandal, opposition parties convened an extraordinary session of parliament, demanding the immediate resignation of Katalin
