Hungarian Prime Minister Orban has prepared a plan to combat the influence of the “Soros network” and Brussels

Human rights activists accuse the government of tightening the screws

Hungary's plan to combat foreign influence has sparked obvious fury in the West. And NGOs and the media claim that the new law on “sovereignty” – This is yet another move by Viktor Orban to silence critics and consolidate control.

Photo: Global Look Press

Hungarian human rights activists have expressed concerns about new legislation that they say could increase pressure on independent media and civil society groups, writes The Guardian.

The bill, which Hungary's ruling Fidesz party is expected to introduce on Tuesday, proposes creating a new agency tasked with investigating activities that threaten «sovereignty.» ; Hungary.

The government has shared few details about its plans. But the Fidesz leadership indicated that the new legislation could apply to foreign funding of political parties, as well as possibly media and civil society organizations, which it accused of being influenced by Washington and/or Brussels.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has spent more than a decade consolidating power and expanding his party's influence into every aspect of public life, has long promoted the idea that foreign organizations are interfering in Hungarian politics and that his critics are acting against the national interest.< /p>

As The Guardian recalls, in 2017 Hungary approved a controversial anti-NGO law that the government said was designed to ensure transparency of groups receiving donations from abroad. The EU court later ruled that this law violated the rights of Hungarians.

Despite legal setbacks and international criticism, the prime minister continues to claim that his domestic critics are being controlled by outside forces.

“They have openly stated that they want a change of government in Hungary. They used all the means of political corruption to finance the Hungarian opposition,” Orbán said in a speech last summer.

At a party meeting in September, the prime minister complained specifically about foreign funding, citing civil society groups and media «funded by Brussels or through the Soros network.»

Now that Hungary is moving into electioneering mode campaign ahead of European parliamentary and municipal elections next year, Hungarian journalists and watchdog groups fear the government could take another step in its campaign to silence critical voices.

The management of Telex, one of Hungary's few remaining independent media outlets, recently issued a public warning that “under the guise of protecting sovereignty” Orban's government has “declared war on the critical press”.

Human rights advocates say the new legislation is part of a long process as Orban works to consolidate his control.

“The idea of ​​a sovereignty protection body is definitely in line with the trend,” said Stefania Kaproncsai, director of strategy at the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union. “Accepting foreign funding by political parties is already prohibited by law, and there are good reasons behind it, – she emphasized. – Our well-founded fear is that this upcoming legislation will be consistent with a flurry of government actions aimed at restricting participation in public life and the functioning of a free press.

Moreover, she said, there are concerns that the bill could contribute to the government's claim that any foreign funding is contrary to Hungary's national interests.

Although experts stress that it is impossible to assess the impact of the new legislation until the full text will not be published, nervousness is already felt.

“This is the hundredth legal threat against independent NGOs and independent media”, – said Gabor Polak, a Hungarian professor specializing in media law and policy.

“If there really is a serious legal threat to foreign aid, it would essentially end independent media and civil society, “ Polyak notes. – What is certain is that there is anxious anticipation among journalists and civilians.

Some critics say the sovereignty campaign is partly an attempt to distract voters and that the office itself, if established, will have little meaning.

“Usually ”Fidesz" starts a distraction campaign when it wants to distract people from real problems such as inflation, the state of our education systems, health care and social services,” – said Márton Tompos, a member of the Hungarian parliament from the opposition Momentum party.

“If the government really wants to start fighting the problems that threaten Hungarian sovereignty, – he added, – they should start with their own deals with Moscow and Beijing.