Hungarian presidential office keeps pardon details secret

The office of Hungary’s temporary president, Forsthoffer Ágnes, has refused to release any documents relating to individual presidential pardons granted between 10 May 2012 and 19 July 2026, citing personal‑data protection laws. The Sándor Palace only provided aggregate figures – 178 positive pardons in total, with a peak of 40 in 2023 – and omitted information on the types of crimes, sentences, or the specific nature of the clemency.

Earlier data requests revealed that former president Kónya Endre’s pardon case was fully disclosed, while other cases, such as those involving officials Novák Katalin and Sulyok Tamás, remain concealed. In the first quarter of 2024, President Sulyok Tamás did not grant any pardons, rejecting 314 applications. The Justice Ministry now anticipates that the incoming president will have to address a backlog of 150‑200 pending pardon requests.