Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on Hungary’s newly elected government to take decisive measures to restore the rule of law, following the electoral victory of opposition leader Péter Magyar. With this victory ending Viktor Orbán’s 16-year rule, HRW emphasizes the need to reverse policies that have curtailed democratic freedoms and suppressed dissent over the last decade and a half. The organization particularly highlighted the dismantling of laws and institutions such as the Sovereignty Protection Office, which was created in 2023 and vested with extensive authority to probe journalists, civil society entities, and academics receiving foreign funding (JURIST).
HRW also urged immediate action to terminate emergency decree powers that have allowed the executive branch to operate without parliamentary oversight since 2020. Lydia Gall, senior Europe and Central Asia researcher at HRW, remarked that the new administration holds a crucial opportunity to address Hungary’s rights crisis by reestablishing foundational democratic processes. Ending rule by decree would signal positive change in reversing years of rights erosion, according to Gall.
Among the specific cases HRW referenced were the criminal charges faced by Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony and Géza Buzás-Hábel, related to their involvement in organizing Pride events banned under the previous government’s legislation. Parliament banned Pride marches and similar LGBT events in March 2025, a move that attracted domestic and international criticism. Additionally, HRW called for the cessation of an inquiry into journalist Szabolcs Panyi, which the organization believes was initiated in retaliation for his investigative reporting.
The previous government was often criticized for concentrating power within the executive branch, undermining judicial independence, and exerting control over approximately 80 percent of the media. The European Union’s Court of Justice has been fining Hungary €1 million daily since June 2024 for its failure to comply with EU asylum policy rulings. Magyar’s Tisza party’s recent electoral success, which granted them a supermajority, presents a pivotal opportunity to amend the constitution and adhere to EU rule of law standards. Achieving these milestones could potentially unlock billions of euros in EU funds currently frozen due to the preceding administration’s frequent violations of EU regulations (BBC News).