The US state department has warned that a new law in Hungary “can be used to intimidate and punish” Hungarians who do not agree with the government, adding to concerns from Hungarian journalists and activists who have expressed worries the law is aimed at silencing critical voices.
Hungary’s parliament approved legislation last week that creates a sovereignty protection office with broad powers to investigate Hungarians active in public life.
The government of Hungary’s powerful prime minister, Viktor Orbán, has repeatedly accused its critics of working under the influence of western governments and entities.
In a statement on Wednesday, the US state department spokesperson Matthew Miller said his country was “concerned by the Hungarian government’s decision today to enact a new law which equips the Hungarian government with draconian tools that can be used to intimidate and punish those with views not shared by the ruling party”.
The new sovereignty office, the spokesperson said, “could be used to subject Hungarian citizens, businesses, and organisations to intrusive investigations with no judicial oversight, even if they have had no contact with or support from a foreign government or foreign entity”.
“This new law is inconsistent with our shared values of democracy, individual liberty, and the rule of law,” he added.
David Pressman, the US ambassador in Budapest, underscored that the new law gave the new office a lot of power without proper oversight.
“This new state body has unfettered powers to interrogate Hungarians, demand their private documents, and utilise the services of Hungary’s intelligence apparatus – all without any judicial oversight or judicial recourse for its targets,” he wrote on social media.
While Hungary’s government argues that law is needed to improve accountability and transparency, media outlets and civil society groups say it is designed to undermine independent voices in an environment where critics are already under pressure.
Last week, 10 independent Hungarian media outlets said the law was “capable of severely restricting the freedom of the press”.
Earlier, a group of Hungarian civil society groups said in a joint statement that “where citizens are accused of serving foreign interests if they speak their minds on public affairs, there is no freedom”.
The International Press Institute has called for an EU challenge against the law.
Asked about criticism of the sovereignty law, Orbán told Hungarian state radio last week that it was “hard to imagine a more beautiful self-confession than that, they are betraying themselves … Anyone whose interests are damaged by the law, because they have received money from abroad so far, obviously doesn’t like it.
“However, our ambition was not to please them, but that this legislation benefits the Hungarian nation, and I am convinced that it protects Hungary’s interests well.”
