Focus on Hungary

The interpretation of the Hungarian “illiberal state,” in terms of political philosophy and political science outlines a set-up in which even though the constitutional institutions typical of democracies still formally exist, they however no longer function—even while occasionally adopting decisions that comply with constitutionality—as intended at the system level: Instead of serving as true checks on how the government wields power, they function as institutions stabilising the autocratic workings of the state. This paper aims to examine one of the crucial features of how “illiberal states” operate, namely populist and inflammatory government communication that seeks to make public debate hegemonistic and the closely related government actions intended to silence critical opinions, together with the legal instruments available to counter these things.

This study aims to lay the foundations of a collaboration that can be joined by other organisations still being formed, as well as by actors sharing human rights values who can reach out to additional potential supporters. This text is designed to be continuously expanded in the future, so as to further incorporate increasingly sensitive analyses along with a growing pool of creative ideas and recommendations.

Milyen messze terjed Budapest befolyása? Hogyan hatott a „menekültválság" a regionális együttműködésre? E tanulmány fontos háttérinformációkkal, tényekkel és adatokkal ismerteti meg az olvasót a „menekültválság” elmúlt három évéről, és annak társadalmi, politikai, szakpolitikai és diplomáciai utóhatásairól. Az Orbán-kormány menekültekkel, menedék- és migrációs ügyekkel kapcsolatos retorikáját és szakpolitikai lépéseit elemzi, de be is mutatja azok regionális kontextusát.