US Sounds Alarm on Hungary’s Planned Crackdown on Media, NGOs

(Bloomberg) -- The US envoy to Hungary called a proposal by Prime Minister Viktor Orban to target media and civic groups potentially “very dangerous” as the nationalist leader prepares to unveil the latest crackdown on independent institutions.

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Orban’s government has signaled it’ll move ahead with a “sovereignty protection” package targeting foreign-funded political groups, media and non-governmental organizations, with potential prison terms for those who run afoul. Although the cabinet pledged to unveil details this week, it has yet to file the legislation to parliament.

“To the extent that this bill may seek to criminalize and or intimidate independent civil society and media organizations, that is very dangerous, and I hope that’s not the path that Hungary chooses to go down,” US Ambassador David Pressman told reporters Thursday. He said the US would take a “close look” at the bill once it’s published.

Scrutiny over the measures takes place as the European Union considers whether to unlock some of the more than $30 billion in funding earmarked for Hungary, suspended last year on accusations over the erosion of the rule of law and graft concerns.

In a speech on Monday, Orban — a staunch supporter of former US President Donald Trump — said the bill will seek to take on what he sees as “liberal hegemony” in Europe.

The legislation, which drew criticism at an EU ministerial meeting in Brussels on Wednesday for its potential impact on civil society, is still being debated, Nepszava newspaper reported, citing Hungary’s EU Affairs Minister Janos Boka.

Orban, who started his career as an anti-communist student leader in the 1980s, has evolved into a nationalist disruptor in the EU who has expressed open admiration toward autocratic leaders. Since his return to the premiership in 2010, he’s cemented his grip over independent institutions by appointing loyalists to lead state agencies, the courts, universities and cultural institutions.

Even as Orban condemns what he sees as attempts to intervene in Hungarian politics, he regularly campaigns on behalf of nationalist and populist candidates around Europe and beyond. He’s repeatedly said he backs Trump’s bid to return to the White House.

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