• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Autocracy Analyst
  • Articles
  • Videos
  • About Us

Explainer

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

June 17, 2020 by Lili Török

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

Hungarian PM Orbán’s Friend Wins Big During the COVID-19 Crisis

May 28, 2020 by Péter Sárosi

Corruption risks in Hungarian procurement reached their highest level since 2005 during the COVID-19 crisis, according to a new report published by the Corruption Research Centre Budapest (CRCB). The big winner is Prime Minister Orbán’s straw man.

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

May 21, 2020 by Lili Török

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.

Primary Sidebar

This blog provides you English news updates, articles, and videos about rising authoritarian rule in Hungary. Read more about us!

More from the Autocracy Analyst

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

November 19, 2020 By Lili Török

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 Lili Török

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.

David Takes on Goliath: The Struggle for Academic Freedom in Hungary

October 11, 2020 By Péter Sárosi

For a month now, hundreds of Hungarian students have occupied their campus and resist the government’s pressure to eliminate the autonomy of their university. Their fight attracted international attention and evoked support from broad ranges of society. In this article we try to put this story in the context and present you the challenges of resisting autocracy in a hybrid regime.

Hungarian Public Foundation Rejects NGO Application for EU Funding over Unlawful Foreign Agent Law

September 30, 2020 By Péter Sárosi

In June, the highest court in the European Union ruled that Hungary’s Foreign Agent Law requiring NGOs with foreign funding to self-identify and disclose their donors was unlawful. A few months later, a Hungarian public foundation operated by the government denied Power of Humanity Foundation, a human rights education NGO, EU funding over noncompliance with the same law. The NGO is asking the European Commission to investigate.

100 Years Ago, Hungary Adopted the First Racial Law in Europe

September 23, 2020 By Péter Sárosi

100 years ago, on 23 September 1920, the Hungarian parliament adopted the so-called Numerus Clausus Law, often dubbed the first racial, antisemitic law in Europe, long before the Nazi racial laws.

OUR MISSION

"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."

E-mail Newsletter

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
Support us now!

Search

Tags

Explainer

Footer

RIGHTS REPORTER FOUNDATION

Hungary, 1032 Budapest
San Marco Street 70.
Email: rightsreporter@rightsreporter.net

OUR OTHER WEBSITES:

The Rights Reporter Foundation

Drugreporter

Room for Change Campaign

Room in the 8th District Campaign

A Day in the Life movie website

Search

Tags

Explainer

Autocracy Analyst