“Enough of authoritarianism!” »» Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in Hungary on Sunday, May 18, against a new bill endangering NGOs and those accused of “Make the country’s sovereignty”. “I want to live in a free Hungary, not in a dictatorship” read one banner displayed in front of Parliament, adorned with Hungarian, European, and rainbow flags.
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Hungary prepares “a register of organizations funded by foreigners” on the model of Russia
“This law is full of absurdities; it contains nothing concrete. Just like in Russia, we can now be accused of having criticized the State and treated as an agent from abroad” lamented Gabor, a 25-year-old student who preferred not to reveal his last name.
Nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who had promised in March “A big Easter cleaning” against his rivals, referred to them as “Bugs” and has now set his threats into motion. After the vote of a series of constitutional amendments restricting the rights of LGBT+ people and binational citizens, the ruling party submitted a text concerning “The transparency of public life” in Parliament this week.
Over 300 NGOs and media organizations, including Amnesty International and Transparency International, have signed a joint statement denouncing the move as an “Authoritarian maneuver to retain power” just one year before legislative elections that are expected to be highly competitive. They argue that it will “Silence all critical voices and eliminate what remains of Hungarian democracy”, drawing parallels with what is happening “In Russia”. The Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ) has urged European Union leaders to “Condemn unequivocally” this legislation, which is expected to receive parliamentary approval next month.
“Poutinization of Hungary”
The opposition has also raised alarms about the “Poutinization” of Hungary. “The Prime Minister obviously learned a lot from his mentor”, Russian President Vladimir Putin, commented Peter Magyar, whose conservative Tisza party is currently doing well in the polls.
Viktor Orban defended this legislative proposal before his party’s supporters, asserting that it aims to dismantle “Propaganda networks” funded by foreign money. “Yes to political debate, yes to freedom of expression, no to foreign money” he stated confidently.
Under the proposed law, organizations “Violating or criticizing” the values enshrined in the Constitution, particularly “The primacy of marriage, family, and gender” may find themselves on a blacklist after a recommendation from the sovereignty authority established the previous year.
In such cases, these organizations will need to obtain permission from the anti-money laundering authority to accept funds from abroad. Their bank accounts will be monitored, and any donor transfers will be blocked if it is determined that the funds are intended to “Influence public life”. Failure to comply with these regulations could lead to heavy fines, potentially up to twenty-five times the amount of foreign financial aid received, along with the threat of activity prohibition in case of repeated infractions.
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In Hungary, a documentary on the enrichment of Viktor Orban’s family attracts millions of views.