Berlin, 12 June 2014.
Since its re-election, the Hungarian government has launched a campaign attacking the credibility of Hungarian NGOs. The government is striving to gain controlling power over the funding distributed to NGOs by independent organisations not affiliated with the Hungarian government. We believe that a dynamic and independent civil society plays a fundamental role in a democratic society, as it is one of the key checks and balances to power. As demonstrated by the new laws introduced in Russia, the harassment of the civil sector could easily lead to the criminalisation of NGOs and could effectively hinder their work. We stand in solidarity with the Hungarian NGOs and call on the Hungarian and all other governments to refrain from harassing civil society.