A Hungarian transparency watchdog and independent media outlet say they have been targeted in an investigation designed to intimidate voices critical of the government of Hungary’s far-right prime minister, Viktor Orbán.
On Tuesday, Transparency International Hungary, an NGO, and Átlátszó, one of the country’s best-known investigative outlets, said they had received formal notification that they were being investigated as organisations that, “using support from abroad, conduct activities aimed at influencing the will of the voters”.
The letters of notification were signed by Hungary’s new sovereignty protection office, a controversial body set up with broad powers to investigate Hungarian citizens active in public life.
The creation of the office has fuelled fears that Orbán and his ruling Fidesz party – which have come under criticism over the past 14 years for undermining democratic norms – are working to put more pressure on civil society and the media.
In February, the European Commission announced it was taking the first step in legal action against Hungary over the law that created the office, arguing that it violated the principle of democracy.
But news of the body’s first investigations – coming days before Hungary is due to take over the Council of the EU’s rotating presidency in July – has deepened concerns among Orbán’s critics that the government is doubling down on its efforts to crack down on independent voices.
“We don’t consider this legitimate,” said Tamás Bodoky, Átlátszó’s executive director, adding the outlet was considering how to respond to the investigation and seeking legal advice.
“We see the whole thing as Russian-style, Putin-recipe action whose goal is to silence critical organisations and at least scare,” he said in a phone interview on Wednesday, calling the sovereignty office’s move “shameful”.
Asked why he believed Átlátszó had been targeted, Bodoky pointed to the outlet’s investigations concerning alleged corruption, which he said had made the government and people connected to the ruling party “uncomfortable”.
“We think some stories really hurt them,” he said.
As part of its investigation, the sovereignty protection office has sent 62 questions to Transparency International Hungary and 11 questions to Átlátszó.
In a statement, Transparency International Hungary said it “believes that it is no accident that our organisation has been targeted”.
“As a non-governmental organisation fighting corruption, the success of our investigative, analytical and legal work, and perhaps even our mere existence threatens the regime of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has been leading the most corrupt government in the European Union,” it said.
“We consider the operation of the office, as well as the law establishing it, to be unconstitutional. Nevertheless, as an NGO thoroughly committed to transparency, we will respond to the questions by the office,” the group added.
The organisation has also filed a complaint with Hungary’s constitutional court.
The Hungarian government and the sovereignty protection office did not respond to requests for comment.
Reached by phone on Wednesday, József Péter Martin, Transparency International Hungary’s executive director, said: “Democracy is in decline in Hungary for many, many years. The state organisations are not independent.”
