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Fidesz proposes new legislation echoing Russia's foreign agent law
After Orban's controversial speech in which he promised a "spring cleaning," Fidesz MP, Janos Halasz, submitted a new bill to parliament moments before midnight that critics say is Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s toughest attack on civil society, 444 reports. The legislation would allow the government’s Sovereignty Protection Office (SPO) to blacklist NGOs, media outlets and other organisations receiving foreign funding. With the elections coming up next year and a growing opposition movement, civil society groups say the timing is no coincidence. The bill shows similarities with Russia’s “foreign agent” law.
The legislation would grant the SPO to investigate, monitor, and punish groups deemed a threat to “Hungary’s constitutional identity” or “Christian culture.” That includes organisations promoting gender diversity or public policy reform. Blacklisted groups could be fined up to 25 times the amount of their foreign funding, lose access to tax-deductible donations, and be subject to asset disclosure and inspections. “This follows the Russian pattern: it is about abuse of power and revenge,” said Budapest mayor, Gergely Karácsony.
Critics warn that the bill is part of a broader authoritarian shift under Orbán’s rule. Over the past decade, his government has systematically attacked the judiciary, the free press, and reshaped education and cultural life in line with Fidesz's ultraconservative values. The Hungarian Helsinki Committee called the bill "a significant escalation in the government's efforts to suppress dissent, weaken human rights protection, and consolidate its grip on power."
In March, Orbán held a speech about a “shadow army” of critics allegedly funded by foreign powers, pledging to do a “spring cleaning” before the elections.