Adrienne Latso was a judge in Budapest. He resigned in protest of the government’s intervention and now as a lawyer is struggling for the independence of justice. An elegant office in the 12th Budapest apartment. It is tastefully furnished, tables hang on the distinctive dark gray walls, in the office next to the modern computer there is a glass board – a prize from the Mensa Hungariqa Union for extremely talented people. Lawyer Andrien Latsu works in this office.

Although she has just recently become a lawyer, at 50 and something is today one of the most distinguished female lawyers in Hungary. It became known in late November 2024, when, after 24 years as a judge, he said in a public post on Facebook that he had no choice but to abandon the judge’s profession.

In an interview with DW she says: “The independence of justice has been abolished in Hungary.”

Hungary’s judicial system has been boiling for a long time. However, few specific information is leaking about internal conflicts. It is unusual for someone to speak as open as Laco. And yet it’s not the only one.

At the end of February 2025, hundreds of judges demonstrated in front of the Ministry of Justice in the Central Square of Kosut, Budapest, along with relatives and supporters. This has not happened in Hungary again and remains rare and elsewhere in Europe, as a few years ago in Poland. The judges took to the streets in favor of the independence of justice. They also called for wage increases, as Hungarian judicial officials are one of the lowest paid in Europe.

Judges in a “black list”?

Getting to the streets in Hungary against the system of Prime Minister Victor Orban does not only require a great deal of courage in general, as you risk your work and career prospects. In the case of judges, it was even worse – a well -known and particularly rude journalist who is in the government, his friend Orban, Tsolt Byer, had requested that a list of the names of all those who were demonstrating.

Among the protesters was Andrien Latso. The fact that so many fearless people took to the streets despite the “call for a list” shows how great the discontent among the 2,600 judges in Hungary: “I know many who think like me, but try to behave as if they were being tried. It’s their job and they love their job, so they try to survive. “

She also fought years of internal battles. It had the first feeling that something was not going well in 2012. At that time, the Orban government introduced the forced retirement of judges. Hundreds of experienced judges between 62 and 70 who held leadership positions were forced to leave the courts. “This created uncertainty in the institution and the younger judges were rewarded by taking over these positions.”

Although the Orban government withdrew the regulation under the pressure of European institutions in 2013, many retired judges did not return to their previous positions – it was too late for many. “Therefore, the government has achieved its goal,” Laco says.

Lack of know -how and experience

Since then, especially in the last five to six years, the pressure on the courts has increased, the former judge says. “It is not that someone calls a judge who is a politically sensitive case and tells him what decision is expected. On the contrary, judges are experiencing that some are going up faster in the hierarchy, while others are left behind. Those who make decisions that satisfy the government are moving faster. “

The former judge sees Curia, the Hungarian Supreme Court, as a prominent example. There are many judges who lack professional specialization and experience. For example, the Curia president was appointed without ever working as a judge – in other words, with political criteria, which is also reflected in his work.

The example of a trial in the media last year shows how Orban and his mechanism use a disciplined judicial power, including institutions such as Curia: at that time, the CEO of the Austrian Supermarket SPAR said in a newspaper that he had a newspaper in a newspaper. Many Hungarian media reported in the article. The prime minister subsequently sued all the Hungarian media reported on the matter, but lost in the first instance. Then two newspapers lost appeal to Curia. The reason: They should have checked whether the statements of Spar’s chief executive were true.

International support

It remains to be seen whether the first public protest of the Hungarian judges will change the situation in the judiciary. However, there is already broad international support for the protest movement. For example, the president of the International Union of Judges, Douro Sessa, also spoke at the rally in late February. As part of a dispute over shortages in the Hungarian judicial system, the EU has also frozen funding for Hungary for some time.

Laco concludes with a harsh and clear conclusion: “The rule of law no longer exists in the judiciary in Hungary, as the organizational independence of the judiciary has been abolished. Even the individual independence of the judges is at serious risk. And that means: Without independent justice, there is no protection mechanism for Hungarian citizens. “

Personally, Laco is happy to be able to work as a lawyer. She is also not afraid of slander against her or her family. But being a lawyer is just a substitute for what he really wanted to do. “Being a judge was the job of my dreams and I would love to retire as a judge. But that was no longer possible. “

Curated by: Costas Argyros