Hungary enacts National Sovereignty Protection Act, December 2023
Hungary's National Assembly enacted a "sovereignty protection" law creating a state office empowered to investigate organizations, including independent media, it deemed to threaten national sovereignty; RSF and ten Hungarian outlets warned it could cripple independent newsrooms.1
What happened
Hungary's National Assembly promulgated the National Sovereignty Protection Act on December 20, 2023, creating a Sovereignty Protection Office empowered to investigate organizations, including news outlets, that it determined might be influenced by foreign actors or threaten national sovereignty. Reporters Without Borders and a joint statement from ten Hungarian media outlets warned the law and the office it created could be used to "harass and delegitimize independent media by labeling them threats to national sovereignty," building on more than a decade of documented media capture in Hungary. Following a change of government in 2026, Hungary's National Assembly abolished the Sovereignty Protection Office on June 30, 2026, among a set of initial media reforms the Committee to Protect Journalists described as promising but not yet backed by lasting safeguards.1234
The Sovereignty Protection Office was abolished June 30, 2026; CPJ says lasting safeguards for media independence are still needed.4
What reason was given
The law was presented by its sponsors as protecting national sovereignty against foreign influence over Hungarian civil society and media.2
What changed for reporting
Independent Hungarian outlets said the Sovereignty Protection Office could be used to investigate and stigmatize them as threats to national sovereignty, contributing to journalists' reluctance to publish investigative material, documented over more than a decade of media capture.3
Timeline
2023
Who acted
| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
|---|---|---|
| National Assembly of Hungary | legislated | National legislature |
| Viktor Orban | other | Prime Minister of Hungary (through 2026) |
Sources
- Hungary's sovereignty law: Viktor Orban's new dangerous provocation targeting independent media
- Hungary's initial media reforms are promising but lasting safeguards still needed
- Hungary: media freedom remains in crisis mode ahead of 2026 elections
Claims cited
- Hungary's National Sovereignty Protection Act was promulgated.
the National Sovereignty Protection Act was promulgated by Hungarian President Katalin Novak yesterday (20 December)
Hungary's sovereignty law: Viktor Orban's new dangerous provocation targeting independent media, Reporters Without Borders, 2023-12-21. Claim 67, checked 2026-09-22. - The law was framed as a defense against foreign influence over Hungarian institutions, including media.
is capable of severely restricting the freedom of the press, potentially making it difficult or even impossible for independent newsrooms, journalists and media companies to operate.
Hungary's sovereignty law: Viktor Orban's new dangerous provocation targeting independent media, Reporters Without Borders, 2023-12-21. Claim 68, checked 2026-09-22. - The office created by the law could investigate and stigmatize independent media as sovereignty threats.
harass and delegitimize independent media by labeling them threats to national sovereignty
Hungary's initial media reforms are promising but lasting safeguards still needed, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2026-07-22. Claim 69, checked 2026-09-22. - Hungary's new government abolished the office as part of initial 2026 media reforms.
Hungary has a historic opportunity...to build a pluralistic media system that serves the public and cannot be politically captured again.
Hungary's initial media reforms are promising but lasting safeguards still needed, Committee to Protect Journalists, 2026-07-22. Claim 70, checked 2026-09-22.