{
  "id": 106,
  "slug": "2020-hungary-coronavirus-fake-news-law",
  "title": "Hungary criminalizes false coronavirus information and grants Orban decree powers",
  "occurred_on": "2020-03-30",
  "occurred_on_precision": "day",
  "ended_on": null,
  "jurisdiction": "HU",
  "country": "HU",
  "continent": "europe",
  "level": "national",
  "type": null,
  "tactic_primary": "insult_and_defamation_laws",
  "leader_slug": "viktor-orban",
  "issue_of_the_day": "The law was passed as Hungary, like much of Europe, entered its first coronavirus lockdown in March 2020; the government said it needed emergency powers to respond quickly to the pandemic.",
  "outcome": "unknown",
  "outcome_on": null,
  "outcome_note": "Hungary's government said it would end Orban's decree powers by June 20, 2020; the false-information provision's later fate was not established.",
  "granularity": "granular",
  "era": "2020s",
  "summary": "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.{c:404}",
  "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.{c:404}{c:405}{c:406}",
  "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.{c:404}{c:405}{c:406}",
  "effect_on_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.{c:405}",
  "unknowns": "Whether the criminal penalty for false pandemic information was narrowed or repealed after the state of danger ended was not established in the sources reviewed.",
  "status": "in_effect",
  "status_updated_on": "2026-09-22",
  "external_ids": {},
  "illustration_key": null,
  "pub_state": "published",
  "published_at": "2026-09-22T23:15:47Z",
  "reviewed_on": "2026-09-22",
  "next_review_on": "2026-12-22",
  "revision": 5,
  "created_at": "2026-09-22T23:15:42Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-09-23T00:10:27Z",
  "stage": "punish",
  "ladder_note": null,
  "country_name": "Hungary",
  "tactics": [
    "insult_and_defamation_laws"
  ],
  "leader": {
    "slug": "viktor-orban",
    "name": "Viktor Orban",
    "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/viktor-orban"
  },
  "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2020-hungary-coronavirus-fake-news-law",
  "page_meta": {
    "published": "2026-09-22T23:15:47Z",
    "reviewed": "2026-09-22",
    "sources": 3,
    "status": "in_effect",
    "statusAsOf": "2026-09-22",
    "unknowns": "Whether the criminal penalty for false pandemic information was narrowed or repealed after the state of danger ended was not established in the sources reviewed."
  },
  "actors": [
    {
      "slug": "hungarian-national-assembly",
      "name": "National Assembly of Hungary",
      "kind": "body",
      "role": "legislated",
      "role_at_time": null,
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/actors/hungarian-national-assembly"
    },
    {
      "slug": "viktor-orban",
      "name": "Viktor Orban",
      "kind": "person",
      "role": "ordered",
      "role_at_time": null,
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/actors/viktor-orban"
    }
  ],
  "outlets": [],
  "journalists": [],
  "cases": [],
  "related": [],
  "events": [],
  "claims": [
    {
      "id": 404,
      "subject_type": "incident",
      "subject_id": 106,
      "field": "occurred_on",
      "value": "2020-03-30",
      "statement": "RSF said the law paved the way for a full information police state in Hungary.",
      "attribution": null,
      "source_id": 287,
      "evidence_quote": "This Orwellian law introduces a full-blown information police state in the heart of Europe.",
      "evidence_date": "2020-04-01",
      "method": "outlet_report",
      "verified_at": "2026-09-22",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "status": "current",
      "supersedes_id": null,
      "superseded_by": null,
      "supersede_reason": null,
      "batch_label": "v2-research-2026-09-22",
      "created_at": "2026-09-22T23:15:43Z",
      "source": {
        "id": 287,
        "url": "https://rsf.org/en/orb%C3%A1n-s-orwellian-law-paves-way-information-police-state-hungary",
        "final_url": "https://rsf.org/en/orb%C3%A1n-s-orwellian-law-paves-way-information-police-state-hungary",
        "title": "Orban's law paves way for 'information police state' in Hungary",
        "publisher": "Reporters Without Borders",
        "published_on": "2020-04-01",
        "link_state": "live",
        "link_state_since": "2026-09-22T23:23:23Z",
        "wayback_url": null,
        "wayback_saved_at": null
      },
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/claims/404"
    },
    {
      "id": 405,
      "subject_type": "incident",
      "subject_id": 106,
      "field": "effect_on_reporting",
      "value": "Penalty of up to five years in prison",
      "statement": "The law criminalized spreading information deemed to undermine the pandemic response, with fines and up to five years in prison.",
      "attribution": null,
      "source_id": 288,
      "evidence_quote": "criminalizes the spreading of misinformation deemed to undermine the authorities' fight against the COVID-19 virus with fines and up to five years in prison",
      "evidence_date": "2020-03-31",
      "method": "outlet_report",
      "verified_at": "2026-09-22",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "status": "current",
      "supersedes_id": null,
      "superseded_by": null,
      "supersede_reason": null,
      "batch_label": "v2-research-2026-09-22",
      "created_at": "2026-09-22T23:15:43Z",
      "source": {
        "id": 288,
        "url": "https://ipi.media/alerts/press-freedom-threatened-as-hungary-criminalizes-coronavirus-fake-news-and-hands-orban-sweeping-powers/",
        "final_url": "https://ipi.media/alerts/press-freedom-threatened-as-hungary-criminalizes-coronavirus-fake-news-and-hands-orban-sweeping-powers/",
        "title": "Press freedom threatened as Hungary criminalizes coronavirus 'fake news' and hands Orban sweeping powers",
        "publisher": "International Press Institute",
        "published_on": "2020-03-31",
        "link_state": "bot_blocked",
        "link_state_since": "2026-09-22T23:23:23Z",
        "wayback_url": null,
        "wayback_saved_at": null
      },
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/claims/405"
    },
    {
      "id": 406,
      "subject_type": "incident",
      "subject_id": 106,
      "field": "status",
      "value": "Government says decree powers will end June 20, 2020",
      "statement": "Hungary's justice minister said critics of the emergency powers should apologize once they ended.",
      "attribution": null,
      "source_id": 289,
      "evidence_quote": "We expect [our critics] to apologise for waging a smear campaign instead of cooperating",
      "evidence_date": "2020-05-26",
      "method": "outlet_report",
      "verified_at": "2026-09-22",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "status": "current",
      "supersedes_id": null,
      "superseded_by": null,
      "supersede_reason": null,
      "batch_label": "v2-research-2026-09-22",
      "created_at": "2026-09-22T23:15:44Z",
      "source": {
        "id": 289,
        "url": "https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/5/26/hungary-govt-says-pms-power-to-rule-by-decree-to-end-on-june-20",
        "final_url": "https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/5/26/hungary-govt-says-pms-power-to-rule-by-decree-to-end-on-june-20",
        "title": "Hungary govt says PM's power to rule by decree to end on June 20",
        "publisher": "Al Jazeera",
        "published_on": "2020-05-26",
        "link_state": "live",
        "link_state_since": "2026-09-22T23:23:23Z",
        "wayback_url": null,
        "wayback_saved_at": null
      },
      "url": "https://thewaronnews.com/claims/406"
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": 287,
      "url": "https://rsf.org/en/orb%C3%A1n-s-orwellian-law-paves-way-information-police-state-hungary",
      "final_url": "https://rsf.org/en/orb%C3%A1n-s-orwellian-law-paves-way-information-police-state-hungary",
      "title": "Orban's law paves way for 'information police state' in Hungary",
      "publisher": "Reporters Without Borders",
      "published_on": "2020-04-01",
      "link_state": "live",
      "link_state_since": "2026-09-22T23:23:23Z",
      "wayback_url": null,
      "wayback_saved_at": null
    },
    {
      "id": 288,
      "url": "https://ipi.media/alerts/press-freedom-threatened-as-hungary-criminalizes-coronavirus-fake-news-and-hands-orban-sweeping-powers/",
      "final_url": "https://ipi.media/alerts/press-freedom-threatened-as-hungary-criminalizes-coronavirus-fake-news-and-hands-orban-sweeping-powers/",
      "title": "Press freedom threatened as Hungary criminalizes coronavirus 'fake news' and hands Orban sweeping powers",
      "publisher": "International Press Institute",
      "published_on": "2020-03-31",
      "link_state": "bot_blocked",
      "link_state_since": "2026-09-22T23:23:23Z",
      "wayback_url": null,
      "wayback_saved_at": null
    },
    {
      "id": 289,
      "url": "https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/5/26/hungary-govt-says-pms-power-to-rule-by-decree-to-end-on-june-20",
      "final_url": "https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/5/26/hungary-govt-says-pms-power-to-rule-by-decree-to-end-on-june-20",
      "title": "Hungary govt says PM's power to rule by decree to end on June 20",
      "publisher": "Al Jazeera",
      "published_on": "2020-05-26",
      "link_state": "live",
      "link_state_since": "2026-09-22T23:23:23Z",
      "wayback_url": null,
      "wayback_saved_at": null
    }
  ],
  "revisions_url": "https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2020-hungary-coronavirus-fake-news-law/revisions",
  "license": {
    "name": "CC BY 4.0",
    "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
  },
  "cite_as": "Hungary criminalizes false coronavirus information and grants Orban decree powers. The War On News, thewaronnews.com. https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2020-hungary-coronavirus-fake-news-law. Retrieved 2026-09-23."
}