Why the Beneš decrees still matter for the Hungarian minority in Slovakia

Slovakia has adopted a criminal law amendment that threatens prison sentences for publicly questioning the postwar Beneš decrees. These decrees, which established the principle of collective guilt, holding entire ethnic groups responsible for wartime events regardless of individual involvement, continue to have tangible consequences today. Members of the Hungarian minority still face land confiscations based on the decrees, despite repeated claims that they are no longer legally effective. The move has triggered domestic opposition and renewed tensions between Slovakia and the European Union.