It is not an isolated act. It is rather part of a broader authoritarian game book – the one that deals with democracy, civil society and freedom of expression as threats to neutralize. For example, last week, the regime also changed the Constitution – for the 15th time in as many years – to severely limit citizens’ freedom to protest peacefully, intensifying its campaign against LGBTQ + communities by effectively prohibiting the marches of pride. Taking advantage of a deeply problematic “Child Protection Act”, the regime now has carte blanche to criminalize the assemblies it deems inappropriate and use invasive surveillance technologies such as facial recognition in its application.
This establishes a frightening precedent, because freedom of assembly – a cornerstone of democracy – can now be indefinitely suspended to silence the political opposition.
It also follows a series of broader developments, which indicate a model of rejection of international standards – in particular with regard to human rights. For example, during a visit to the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this month, Orbán declared his intention to withdraw Hungary from the International Criminal Court (ICC), where he is a founding member.
This decision was apparent to Netanyahu, which is subject to an ICC arrest warrant for alleged war crimes. And although this development is not surprising, it provides significant evidence that Orbán is ready to put justice to the political opportunity in relation to justice and that his government considers optional international law when it is in conflict with political alliances.
All this could express problems as the next elections of Hungary, which are scheduled for April 2026.
Although he has captured a large part of the state over the past 15 years, Orbán is currently lying behind the opponent Peter Magyar, who has launched a campaign to “detox” the Hungarian political system and eliminate corruption. Formerly part of the Fidesz family, the criticism of the Magyar of the Orbán regime has rightly resulted in no surprise the type of attacks and the defamation campaigns orchestrated by the state that I have built for years. And more worrying, there are now rumors that Orbán could try to imprison him or prevent him from contesting the elections.
Politices
