The War On News

A record of government actions against journalism and fact-based reporting, from the first press laws to today

Incident

Hungary criminalizes false coronavirus information and grants Orban decree powers

HungaryRSF 2026 rank: 74th of 180

Engraving of an empty press briefing room with a lectern and rows of chairs

Hungary's parliament passed an emergency coronavirus law allowing prison terms of up to five years for spreading information the government deemed false or distorted about the pandemic, and let Prime Minister Viktor Orban rule by decree for an unlimited period.1

What happened

On March 30, 2020, Hungary's parliament passed a coronavirus emergency law criminalizing the publication of information the government deemed false or distorted about the pandemic, with penalties of up to five years in prison, and gave Prime Minister Viktor Orban the power to rule by decree for as long as the state of danger lasted, without a fixed end date. Reporters Without Borders said the law could let the government arbitrarily decide which reports were false and use that power against independent newsrooms. The International Press Institute said the law criminalized spreading information deemed to undermine the authorities' pandemic response, with fines and up to five years in prison. Under European pressure, Hungary's government said in late May 2020 it would ask parliament to end the decree powers by June 20, 2020, while the underlying criminal provision on false pandemic information remained on the books in a narrower form.123

What reason was given

Stated justification

The government said the emergency powers and the criminal penalty for false pandemic information were necessary to respond quickly and combat what it called disinformation about the coronavirus.123

What changed for reporting

Hungarian outlets faced the prospect of prison sentences for coronavirus reporting the government might later deem false or distorted, at the same time the government could rule by decree without a parliamentary check.2

Timeline

2020

30 March 2020
Hungary criminalizes false coronavirus information and grants Orban decree powers

Who acted

NameRole in this incidentOffice at the time
National Assembly of HungarylegislatedNational legislature
Viktor OrbanorderedPrime Minister of Hungary (through 2026)

Sources

  1. Orban's law paves way for 'information police state' in HungaryReporters Without Borders, 2020-04-01, reporting. Source record
  2. Press freedom threatened as Hungary criminalizes coronavirus 'fake news' and hands Orban sweeping powersInternational Press Institute, 2020-03-31, reporting. Source record
  3. Hungary govt says PM's power to rule by decree to end on June 20Al Jazeera, 2020-05-26, reporting. Source record

Claims and evidence

Each numbered claim quotes the source it rests on.

  1. RSF said the law paved the way for a full information police state in Hungary.This Orwellian law introduces a full-blown information police state in the heart of Europe.Orban's law paves way for 'information police state' in Hungary, Reporters Without Borders, 2020-04-01.Claim 404, checked 2026-09-22.
  2. The law criminalized spreading information deemed to undermine the pandemic response, with fines and up to five years in prison.criminalizes the spreading of misinformation deemed to undermine the authorities' fight against the COVID-19 virus with fines and up to five years in prisonPress freedom threatened as Hungary criminalizes coronavirus 'fake news' and hands Orban sweeping powers, International Press Institute, 2020-03-31.Claim 405, checked 2026-09-22.
  3. Hungary's justice minister said critics of the emergency powers should apologize once they ended.We expect [our critics] to apologise for waging a smear campaign instead of cooperatingHungary govt says PM's power to rule by decree to end on June 20, Al Jazeera, 2020-05-26.Claim 406, checked 2026-09-22.