A Hungarian state administrative office ostensibly tasked to protect the country’s sovereignty continues to crackdown on government critical civil society and media.
Set up in December of last year, the Sovereignty Protection Act and its accompanying office, has since created a chilling effect, say NGOs and human rights defenders.
“Chilling effect is a tricky thing. You cannot count it by numbers,” said Miklós Ligeti, legal director at Transparency International Hungary on Friday (6 December).
“It more falls from the environment, whether people are safe enough to speak up, to turn to journalists, to take part in civil society actions,” he said.
Some six months ago, Transparency International Hungary itself was audited by the so-called Sovereignty Protection Office (SPO), whose president was nominated by Hungary’s rightwing nationalist prime minister, Viktor Orban.
Tasked to “protect constitutional identity,” the SPO can investigate individuals, non-profits, media and other legal entities, followed by a public shaming — in a country itself unable to tap billions of frozen EU funds due to its domestic rule-of-law issues.
Even if its findings are wrong or libellous, no-one can challenge the SPO before a court.
Nikolaj Nielsen