US lawmakers decry Hungary's ‘deteriorated’ civil society protections

Hungarian civil society and US lawmakers have joined together to express concern over Budapest's move to shutter a meeting point and headquarters for the country’s NGOs which are often critical of government policies.  

Aurora, a community centre in downtown Budapest, is known as a concert venue, bar, kitchen and more for Hungary’s dissident and outsider communities. At the beginning of March, Aurora was told by local government authorities it had to close its bar by 10pm, meaning that nothing could be sold during its concerts and events, cutting off an essential source of revenue.

“[This] is unsustainable in the long run, and will make it impossible for the place to stay open,” Aurora wrote in a statement asking for community support.

The move, which came from politicians who are members of the ruling Fidesz party, was seen as an attack on dissidents and civil society.

Ten NGOs, including Budapest Pride, Dor Hadas “a grassroots, independent, progressive and inclusive Jewish community” and the Roma Press Center, all call the community centre home.

Aurora believes the order to close its bar early came because it “is one of the last free and open spaces in Hungary, where social and political issues can be debated, and the government can be criticised freely and openly without any censorship from above”, the statement said.  

US support

Hungary has long faced international criticism for what has been called a “crackdown” on civil society and media.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban is widely known for stating his desire to create an “illiberal” democracy that “protects” Christianity.

Observers have criticised the Hungarian government, which Fidesz controls with a constitutional majority won in 2018 – Fidesz garnered slightly less than 50 percent of the vote - for racist comments, anti-immigrant and “anti-Semitic” media campaigns, the consolidation of the media under a government-controlled umbrella organisation and placing limits on NGOs.

In reaction to a 2017 law which requires domestic NGOs that receive at least $25,000 in foreign funding to register as “foreign agents” and file extensive accounts of their finances, the US State Department said: “[The law] will have a chilling effect on the ability of Hungarians to organise themselves and address their concerns to the government in a democratic manner.”

The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), also known as the Helsinki Commission, an independent commission of the US Federal government, said in an August statement delivered to TRT World: “[Under] the Orban government, the conditions for independent nongovernmental organisations … in Hungary have deteriorated.”

The CSCE cited “raids on 13 civil society organisations, seizing computers and documents for alleged financial misconduct”.  But added: “No charges were ever brought against the NGOs.” 

The CSCE has for 40 years independently monitored adherence to the Helsinki Accords, a political agreement between almost all European nations, Canada and the US signed in 1975 and meant to foster security and cooperation therein.

The Helsinki Commission consists of 21 commissioners, 18 of which are elected representatives in the US House and Senate.  

CSCE commissioners, including Senator and ranking member of the CSCE, Benjamin Cardin, visited Aurora during a July visit to Hungary.

The commissioners met with various representatives of NGOs and independent journalists during the visit, but Cardin expressed regret that he was unable to meet with Orban at the time.

“Aurora nurtures a vibrant community of civil society groups and has become a symbol of independent organisations in Hungary,” Cardin said of the visit in a statement.

“Unfortunately, such activism is viewed as a threat by those in power, who - through constant legal harassment - are attempting to permanently close Aurora’s doors. Aurora and organisations like it should be protected, not targeted”, the senator said.

The Hungarian government did not respond to TRT World’s request for comment.

Government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs has previously said that NGO “activists” are “unelected, accountable to nobody”.

The Hungarian Helsinki Committee, a legal nonprofit that largely offers asylum seekers and migrants legal advice, free of charge, is working with Aurora on their case.

The community centre hopes to take its case to the Hungarian Supreme Court. If the case does make it there, a decision “could take years”, Aurora predicted in its statement.