The criminal law and criminal procedure law regulations concerning martial law in Hungary in the 20th century

Abstract

The present paper deals with the history of the normative regulation concerning martial law in Hungary in the 20th century. Within the scope of it, this essay, after a short historical preface, reviews, firstly, the laws enacted in 1912 which are deemed as the beginning of the ’modern’ (that is, the 20th century) martial law regulations, then, secondly, it presents the statutory rules made during the World War I. After this, it analyzes in detail the norms of criminal law and criminal procedure law in the Soviet Republic of Hungary, in the Horthy Era and during the World War II. In the end, it introduces the martial law regulations enacted in the short interval of democracy, then, finally, those of the state socialist system before the year of 1961 when implementation of martial law stopped for good and all.