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 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.
Under the proposed legislation, such organizations could be placed on a list by governmental decree, stripped of key funding and subjected to severe financial penalties if they are found to “endanger the sovereignty of Hungary by carrying out activities aimed at influencing public life with foreign support.”
The bill would also allow the bank accounts of affected organizations to be monitored, and access to the accounts and transactions deemed to violate the new provisions could be blocked.
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