Hungary: Drugreporter will not be silenced

The Hungarian government proposed a Russia-style bill that would effectively ban our organisation, the Rights Reporter Foundation.

The new law, introduced by the ruling party on May 14, would blacklist NGOs that the government labels as “foreign agents,” prohibit them from accepting foreign funding, and make it impossible to raise domestic funds. This law threatens the very existence of Drugreporter, the project we have dedicated the past 20 years to — a project we have built our lives around. And it wouldn’t stop at NGOs: independent press organisations would also be targeted.

This is not only an existential threat to us and our families. It won’t just destroy the lives we’ve built — it’s game over for democracy in Hungary.

In poker, “all in” means a player is betting all of their remaining chips on a single hand. This law sends a clear message to the EU from Hungary’s wannabe dictator: All in. I dare to risk everything. I challenge your authority. I challenge your values. Because I can.

We call on EU institutions, member states, donors, and the international community to stop this rampage and support Hungarian civil society in its fight for freedom.

Drugreporter will survive. They will not silence us. Not only because our servers are hosted abroad, beyond their reach. Not only because we will continue our work from exile if necessary. But because we — the people behind Drugreporter — believe in it deeply.

We are not afraid. We will fight this madness. Drugreporter was created six years before this regime came to power — and it will still be here long after the regime is gone.

Péter Sárosi and István Gábor Takács