# Hungary criminalizes false coronavirus information and grants Orban decree powers

Published 2026-09-22. Last reviewed 2026-09-22. 3 sources.

Status: in effect, as of 2026-09-22.

What we don't know: Whether the criminal penalty for false pandemic information was narrowed or repealed after the state of danger ended was not established in the sources reviewed.

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]

- Country: [Hungary](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/hu) (RSF 2026 rank: 74th of 180)
- Where: Hungary
- Level of government: National
- Tactic: Insult and defamation laws
- Stage: Punish (ladder: https://thewaronnews.com/ladders/insult_and_defamation_laws#stage-punish)
- Head of government at the time: [Viktor Orban](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/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. 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.
- Era: The 2020s

## 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.[1][2][3]

## What reason was given

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.[1][2][3]

## 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

- 2020-03-30: Hungary criminalizes false coronavirus information and grants Orban decree powers

## Who acted

| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [National Assembly of Hungary](https://thewaronnews.com/actors/hungarian-national-assembly) | legislated | National legislature |
| [Viktor Orban](https://thewaronnews.com/actors/viktor-orban) | ordered | Prime Minister of Hungary (through 2026) |

## Sources

1. Orban's law paves way for 'information police state' in Hungary. https://rsf.org/en/orb%C3%A1n-s-orwellian-law-paves-way-information-police-state-hungary (Reporters Without Borders, 2020-04-01).
2. Press freedom threatened as Hungary criminalizes coronavirus 'fake news' and hands Orban sweeping powers. https://ipi.media/alerts/press-freedom-threatened-as-hungary-criminalizes-coronavirus-fake-news-and-hands-orban-sweeping-powers/ (International Press Institute, 2020-03-31).
3. Hungary govt says PM's power to rule by decree to end on June 20. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/5/26/hungary-govt-says-pms-power-to-rule-by-decree-to-end-on-june-20 (Al Jazeera, 2020-05-26).

## Claims cited

[1] RSF said the law paved the way for a full information police state in Hungary. Quote: "This Orwellian law introduces a full-blown information police state in the heart of Europe." Source: Reporters Without Borders, 2020-04-01. Orban's law paves way for 'information police state' in Hungary. https://rsf.org/en/orb%C3%A1n-s-orwellian-law-paves-way-information-police-state-hungary Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/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. 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" Source: International Press Institute, 2020-03-31. Press freedom threatened as Hungary criminalizes coronavirus 'fake news' and hands Orban sweeping powers. https://ipi.media/alerts/press-freedom-threatened-as-hungary-criminalizes-coronavirus-fake-news-and-hands-orban-sweeping-powers/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/405, checked 2026-09-22.

[3] Hungary's justice minister said critics of the emergency powers should apologize once they ended. Quote: "We expect [our critics] to apologise for waging a smear campaign instead of cooperating" Source: Al Jazeera, 2020-05-26. Hungary govt says PM's power to rule by decree to end on June 20. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/5/26/hungary-govt-says-pms-power-to-rule-by-decree-to-end-on-june-20 Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/406, checked 2026-09-22.

Source page: https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2020-hungary-coronavirus-fake-news-law. The War On News, CC BY 4.0.