Hungary responds to Minister Żurek's entry. Szijjarto: This is madness, the rule of law in Poland is in crisis
It is crazy that the Polish Minister of Justice is lecturing Hungary about democracy and freedom of the media and courts – Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto wrote on Tuesday on
“It's crazy that the Polish Minister of Justice lectures us about democracy, freedom of the media and the judiciary!” – wrote Szijjarto.
“You took over public television during a live broadcast, your prime minister announced the court verdict in advance to honor the terrorist who blew up critical infrastructure (probably a Ukrainian citizen suspected of damaging the Russian-German Nord Stream gas pipeline in 2022 – PAP), you persecute those who think differently than the government, you wanted to put opposition MPs in prison and feed them by force!” – he accused the Polish authorities.
It is insane that the Polish Minister of Justice educates us on democracy, freedom of media and jurisdiction! Come on! You occupied the public television during a live broadcast, your Prime Minister announced the court decision in advance to cherish a terrorist who blew up… https://t.co/GFdu19IF6j
— Péter Szijjártó (@FM_Szijjarto) January 13, 2026
Addressing Żurek, he wrote: “the rule of law in Poland is in crisis, and Brussels does not criticize you just because you serve the liberal mainstream.”
The head of Hungarian diplomacy attached an entry to his words from the Minister of Justice, Prosecutor General Waldemar Żurek, in which he said that Hungary's attitude towards the former head of the Ministry of Justice Zbigniew Ziobro is unacceptable.
“Facts and once again facts. First of all, the attitude of the Hungarian side is unacceptable,” wrote Żurek. He pointed out that the information about Ziobro being granted asylum has not yet been confirmed in an official international manner.
Facts and facts again.
First of all, the attitude of the Hungarian side is unacceptable. Information about Zbigniew Ziobro's alleged “asylum” has not yet been confirmed in any official international manner. The ongoing proceedings have not been suspended. On January 15, the court…
— Waldemar Żurek (@w_zurek) January 12, 2026
Żurek added that the ongoing proceedings against Ziobro in Poland have not been suspended and on January 15, the court will consider the prosecutor's request for the arrest of the former Minister of Justice. “The decision in this multi-threaded case, because it involves as many as 26 charges, will be decided by an independent court,” emphasized the current head of the ministry.
“Emotions aside, we keep our feet firmly on the ground. Although it is extremely sad to see the former minister of the Polish Government escape under the umbrella of Putin's faithful ally, while another hail of bombs and rockets is falling on settlements in Ukraine,” wrote Żurek.
He recalled that Hungary has been the object of interest of EU institutions for years due to violations of the rule of law. “This applies to areas such as civil society, freedom of the media and science, and the justice system. Huge EU funds for Hungarians are being frozen, and the EU Council has already held nine formal hearings on the rule of law,” the minister pointed out.
“Why did Zbigniew Ziobro decide that it would be best to direct his steps there? Why does he want to 'restore' democracy in Poland from there? No further comment is unnecessary,” Żurek said.
Ziobro is under investigation by the National Prosecutor's Office, which accuses him of leading an organized criminal group and using his position for criminal activities. Ziobro allegedly committed 26 crimes, including: give orders to his subordinates to break the law in order to provide selected entities with subsidies from the Justice Fund, interfere in the preparation of competition offers and allow funds to be awarded to unauthorized entities.
Ziobro under the Hungarian protectorate
On Monday, one of Ziobro's defenders, attorney Bartosz Lewandowski, announced that the former head of the Ministry of Justice had been granted international protection and political asylum in Hungary. Ziobro stated that he would remain abroad until “real guarantees of the rule of law are restored in Poland.”
In 2018, the European Parliament launched the so-called procedure art. 7 of the EU Treaty in connection with allegations of violations of the rule of law. The procedure may result in the suspension of Hungary's voting rights in the EU Council. The government in Budapest denies the allegations.
The EU commissioner responsible for the rule of law, Michael McGrath, announced at the end of 2025 that Hungary currently has EUR 18 billion of EU funds frozen due to the country's violations of the rule of law. The European Commission also initiated several proceedings against Hungary for violations of EU law, including those relating to the rights of civil society organizations, freedom of science, freedom of the media, rights of migrants and asylum seekers, rights of LGBTIQ people, as well as violations related to the functioning of the single market.
Hungary and the slow decay of democracy
In Freedom House's 2025 report, Hungary was described as a “partially free” country. “Since Prime Minister Viktor Orban (in the country – PAP) took power (…), constitutional and legal changes have been pushed through, which allowed consolidating (the government's) control over the country's independent institutions. Fidesz (Orban's party – PAP) pursued anti-immigration and anti-LGBT+ policies, and also adopted laws hindering the activities of opposition groups, journalists, universities and non-governmental organizations that were critical of the ruling party or whose evaluations Fidesz considers unfavorable” – the report said.
Reporters Without Borders, on the other hand, assessed media freedom in Hungary as severely limited and the country as a “predator in terms of press freedom” due to state influence, market takeover and regulatory control over the media.
Jakub Bawołek from Budapest (PAP)
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