More than 80 editors from leading European news agencies have signed a petition calling on Hungary to repeal a law that restricts the work of foreign-funded media and human rights organizations, comparing it to Russiaʼs foreign agent law.
This is reported by Reuters.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbanʼs Fidesz party submitted a bill last week that would list organizations that receive foreign funding and restrict or even shut down their activities if the government decides they pose a threat to Hungary and its culture.
Hungarian media, think tanks, and human rights activists criticized the bill, claiming it was designed to suppress political dissent. People took to the streets to protest.
Signatories to the petition from European news agencies, including the Guardian, Liberation, Gazeta Wyborcza, SME, Hospodarske Noviny, said that the Fidesz party is “applying the same authoritarian tactics that were observed” in Russia, when in 2012 it passed a law that allows the authorities to label non-governmental organizations funded from abroad and engaged in political activities as foreign agents.
The signatories stressed that protecting press freedom is important not only for Hungary but for the whole of Europe, especially given the growing number of populists in the region following the approaches of Viktor Orbán. They also called on their governments and EU institutions to intervene and stop the adoption of the law, as it contradicts the founding documents of the European Union.
The bill is scheduled to be voted on in mid-June. It is likely to be approved, as Orbanʼs Fidesz party controls a majority in parliament.
Viktor Orban, who has ruled the country since 2010, announced in March that he would stop foreign funding for independent media and opposition figures. Critics believe that this is an attempt to consolidate power before the 2026 elections.
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