The nationalist party of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán introduced a bill late Tuesday that would allow the government to monitor, restrict, penalize and potentially ban organizations it deems a threat to national sovereignty, marking a significant escalation of the government's long-running crackdown on critical media and non-governmental organizations.
The bill, submitted by a lawmaker in Orbán's Fidesz party, would expand the authority of Hungary 's controversial Sovereignty Protection Office, allowing it to identify organizations that influence public debate or voter sentiment in ways it considers detrimental to Hungary’s interests.
