The organiser of Pécs Pride, the only Hungarian LGBTQ+ Pride event outside of Budapest, could face criminal charges for defying the country’s ban on Pride.

ILGA-Europe, a European-based LGBTQ+ rights advocacy group, took to social media to raise awareness for Géza Buzás-Hábel, an activist and teacher, who could face criminal charges for organising a peaceful march in the Hungarian city of Pécs.

ILGA-Europe warn that if Buzás-Hábel is convicted, he will face a prison sentence of up to one year and will lose his right to teach. Buzás-Hábel teaches Romani language and Romani culture at Europe’s first Roma nationality secondary school.

In a statement shared on LinkedIn, ILGA-Europe said the Hungarian government is “using Géza’s case as a warning that those who organise peaceful protests risk imprisonment and the loss of their livelihoods.”

The advocacy organisation said the possible imprisonment of Buzás-Hábel is not only a Hungarian issue, but a European one.

“Freedom of assembly is protected under the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, the European Convention on Human Rights, and the values set out in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union, all of which Hungary committed to when joining the EU,” the group said.

They urged EU members to do all they can in order to prevent Buzás-Hábel’s case from going ahead.

“It is time for the European Union to act. Infringement procedures and interim measures are urgently needed to ensure that this case cannot go ahead,” they said. “No EU citizen should face criminal charges or imprisonment for organising a peaceful protest.”

If criminally convicted, Buzás-Hábel’s case will “represent a direct attack on the fundamental freedoms that the European Union was created to protect.”

ILGA-Europe encouraged the public to contact Members of the European Parliament and ask them to act and to share Buzás-Hábel’s story.

Earlier this year, 300,000 people marched as part of Budapest Pride, in defiance of the Hungarian government’s Pride ban.