Hungarian PM justifies law targeting independent media as response to espionage activities by Ukraine

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has linked the adoption of a bill restricting the activities of non-governmental organisations in Hungary to "active espionage activities by Ukraine".

Source: Hungarian news website Index, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Orbán complained about "intense espionage activities by Ukraine" and added that the government is prepared to counteract this. In his view, the controversial bill also serves this purpose.

Regarding the bill itself, Orbán said that he considers the wording to be "mild."

He also believes that even opposition parties agree that anyone involved in socio-political issues and affairs in Hungary should not accept foreign funding.

Orbán stated that this was an obvious national interest, and everyone should be united in this goal.

Commenting on the espionage scandal between Ukraine and Hungary, Orbán said that Hungary had nothing to do with the Hungarian spies arrested in Ukraine, calling it a disinformation campaign.

He also noted that there was a pro-war and pro-Ukrainian propaganda network operating in Hungary, but they had taken the necessary measures.

Background:

• The bill entitled On the Transparency of Public Life will allow the Office for the Protection of Sovereignty to blacklist organisations receiving foreign funding, including EU grants.
• The bill defines threats to national sovereignty as including influencing public opinion, promoting democratic debates, or denying state-defined values such as Christian culture and traditional family role models.
• The initiative resembles the Russian "foreign agents" law, which the Kremlin uses to suppress non-governmental organisations and independent voices.

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