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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Lili Bayer in Budapest

‘Somewhere between Orwell and Kafka’: Hungary closes in on its media

Viktor Orbán, dressed in a blue suit, looks ahead.
Viktor Orbán has met far-right world leaders in recent weeks, including Vladimir Putin. Photograph: Ludovic Marin/AFP/Getty Images

As leaders across Europe fume over Viktor Orbán’s unsanctioned foreign policy adventures, the far-right Hungarian leader has intensified his campaign against independent voices at home, increasing pressure on media outlets and civil society groups that do not toe the government line.

The prime minister’s meetings in recent weeks with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, China’s leader, Xi Jinping, and the US presidential candidate Donald Trump have stoked controversy in diplomatic circles, further isolating Budapest at a time when Hungary is formally holding the Council of the European Union’s rotating presidency.

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