The Hungarian government has intensified its campaign against NGOs and independent media by introducing a law targeting any organisation funded by foreign sources that it claims may "threaten the sovereignty" of the central European nation.
The legislation, concerning "transparency of public life", was submitted overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday by a member of the ruling Fidesz party, sparking concern in both the media and opposition circles, and drawing parallels to Russia’s foreign agents law.
Organisations that "violate or criticise" constitutional values, particularly the "primacy of marriage, family, and biological sex," could be blacklisted based on recommendations from the Sovereignty Authority established last year.
In such cases, they will need approval from the anti-money laundering body to receive foreign funds. Their bank accounts will be monitored, and donor transfers will be blocked if the money is deemed to "influence public life."
Violating these rules would result in heavy fines, up to 25 times the amount of financial aid received, and could lead to a ban on activities in cases of repeated offences.
Nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban vowed in March to conduct a "great Easter cleansing" against his opponents, whom he accused of being "parasites". He has since passed several constitutional amendments restricting the rights of LGBT+ individuals and dual nationals.
In response to the new law, the media outlet Telex headlined its website with Good morning, Russia.
Former editor-in-chief Veronika Munk criticised the legislation on Facebook, describing it as an attempt to “harass and impede virtually all organisations receiving foreign funds, such as grants or even transparent EU tenders, which are crucial to their survival.”
