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Péter Sárosi

Executive Director of the Rights Reporter Foundation.

He is a human rights activist and drug policy expert, the founder and editor of the Drugreporter website since 2004, the author of countless articles, co-author of books and director of films about harm reduction and drug policy reform. He was the Director of the Drug Policy Program at the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union between 2004 and 2015. He is experienced in working at international drug policy forums such as the Commission on Narcotic Drugs. He was twice elected to the Core Group of the EU Civil Society Forum on Drugs. He is advisory board member of the Eurasian Harm Reduction Association (EHRA) and the Steering Committee member of the Correlation European Harm Reduction Network. He was representing the Hungarian Harm Reduction Network at the government’s drug advisory body in Hungary between 2007 and 2015. As a member of the Drugreporter video advocacy team, he has produced videos about drug policy issues in a number of countries. These videos are now part of a unique online drug policy video library.

“Political Pressure is Often Exercised through Business Means” Interview with Investigative Journalists Blanka Zöldi and András Pethő

November 19, 2020 by Péter Sárosi

Direkt36 is a Budapest-based investigative journalism center that follows the Pro Publica model of in-depth research and partnership-based distribution to maximize readership. They interpret accountability broadly; they believe in the responsibility to show the public how decisions are made, and to show who really holds the power. András Pethő co-founded Direkt36 with Gergely Sáling and Balázs […]

What Freedom-Loving Hungarians Expect from a Biden Presidency

November 1, 2020 by Péter Sárosi

Joe Biden is favored to win the presidency in the upcoming U.S. elections. He has condemned the Hungarian prime minister and praised “freedom-loving Hungarians.” What would his presidency mean for pro-democracy activists in practice? We interviewed human rights leaders on the ground, who told us about their perceptions of U.S. foreign policy in Hungary, what changed during the Trump era, and what a good relationship with U.S. diplomacy means to them.

Why Hungary Is Threatening Europe’s Hard-Fought Coronavirus Recovery Fund An old development debate surfaces in the European Union.

September 7, 2020 by Péter Sárosi

Hungary and Poland managed to delay a mechanism that would tie EU funding to rule-of-law conditions, but a future where the EU can penalize Hungary for antidemocratic behavior by withholding funding is closer than ever.

Index’s Freedom Fight Comes to an End. What’s Next? The Top Hungarian News Site Broadcasts Its Independence Struggle

July 24, 2020 by Péter Sárosi

Most of the editorial staff at Hungary’s largest online news site resigned today, after a decade-long struggle for the company’s independence. The way pro-government interests co-opted the company, slowly, and then all at once, is a textbook example of the way Fidesz has built its media empire over the years. The way the editorial staff stood their ground, and broadcast this struggle, is an important commentary on independent journalism and democratic backsliding. The question is: are Hungarians ready to pay to help them start over?

China Funds a Trip to Autocracy in Europe What happens when two authoritarian regimes partner to build railways in Europe?

June 29, 2020 by Péter Sárosi

China needed to pass through Europe. Hungary needed to bypass it. Here is the story of the Hungarian-Chinese partnership to renovate the Budapest-Belgrade railway route.

Hungary’s Campaign to Centralize Power in the Crisis: the Details

June 17, 2020 by Péter Sárosi

Faced with a dire economic outlook, the Orbán government undermined those best positioned to help — municipal governments.

Hungary Pilots Special Economic Zones and a New Strategy to Weaken Orban’s Opposition

June 3, 2020 by Péter Sárosi

Nervous for a Samsung investment, the Orban administration used the COVID-19 pandemic to pass a decree and strip an opposition-led town of power and taxes.

A Guide to Orbán’s Power Grab Policies Why The Rest of the World Should Watch Hungary Right Now

May 21, 2020 by Péter Sárosi

On March 31, the Hungarian parliament voted to grant extraordinary emergency powers to its government, enabling the Orbán administration to rule by decree, and to jail anyone accused of distorting the truth for up to five years. The law passed without a sunset clause — it will remain in effect until the end of the pandemic, which will be up to the government to decide. With this, Hungary became the first country where a government used the pandemic as an excuse to infinitely expand its powers. The specifics of how these powers are used are important, because Hungary has been a testing lab for post-truth authoritarian regimes for years. Here is a review of what happened since then.

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More from the Autocracy Analyst

Orbán Strikes Civil Society Again

July 6, 2021 By takacsistvangabor

The Hungarian government has adopted new rules designed to intimidate Hungarian NGOs and people who donate money to them. With the space for civil society in Hungary rapidly shrinking, the support and solidarity of the international community is needed more than ever.

Outsourcing Autocracy: The Rise of the Hungarian Deep State

April 28, 2021 By takacsistvangabor

The right-wing authoritarian government of Hungary decided to give away billions of Euros in public funds to private foundations controlled by a small political-economic elite. Thereby effectively forming a shadow government that can continue to rule the country, regardless of the results of the parliamentary elections.     

The Deep Moral Crisis of the Hungarian Establishment

December 4, 2020 By takacsistvangabor

The tale of the anti-gay MEP arrested at a gay sex party is not the first, and probably won’t be the last in the long line of scandals that reveal the deep moral crisis of the Hungarian elite. But will it be enough to shake Orban’s system? On a cold Friday night at the end […]

“Political Pressure is Often Exercised through Business Means” Interview with Investigative Journalists Blanka Zöldi and András Pethő

November 19, 2020 By Péter Sárosi

Direkt36 is a Budapest-based investigative journalism center that follows the Pro Publica model of in-depth research and partnership-based distribution to maximize readership. They interpret accountability broadly; they believe in the responsibility to show the public how decisions are made, and to show who really holds the power. András Pethő co-founded Direkt36 with Gergely Sáling and Balázs […]

What Freedom-Loving Hungarians Expect from a Biden Presidency

November 1, 2020 By Péter Sárosi

Joe Biden is favored to win the presidency in the upcoming U.S. elections. He has condemned the Hungarian prime minister and praised “freedom-loving Hungarians.” What would his presidency mean for pro-democracy activists in practice? We interviewed human rights leaders on the ground, who told us about their perceptions of U.S. foreign policy in Hungary, what changed during the Trump era, and what a good relationship with U.S. diplomacy means to them.

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"The Rights Reporter Foundation (RRF) is a non-profit organisation founded by Hungarian activists to advocate for the human rights of vulnerable populations. Our vision is of a society where policies affecting vulnerable communities are evidence-informed and respect human rights, as well as developed and implemented with the meaningful involvement of these communities."

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