The Hungarian government has filed charges against one of the country\u2019s most prominent investigative journalists, accusing him of spying for Ukraine, as officials grapple with the fallout of allegations that Budapest shared confidential EU information with Moscow.<\/p>\n
The claims of espionage cap off a tumultuous week in Hungarian politics, in which relations with the EU plummeted<\/a> to new lows and polls suggested that Viktor Orb\u00e1n\u2019s Fidesz party is still lagging behind in support<\/a> before next month\u2019s election.<\/p>\n At the heart of the latest row were allegations that Hungary\u2019s foreign minister, P\u00e9ter Szijj\u00e1rt\u00f3, had routinely<\/a> dialled up his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, to pass on the details of confidential EU meetings.<\/p>\n Szijj\u00e1rt\u00f3 first dismissed the allegation, but later acknowledged that he had conferred with Lavrov before and after EU foreign minister meetings about their agenda and decisions, describing such conversations as \u201cdiplomacy\u201d.<\/p>\n After the leading opposition candidate, P\u00e9ter Magyar, said that, on the contrary, the allegations, could amount to treason if confirmed, Orb\u00e1n ordered an investigation into what he called the \u201cwire-tapping\u201d of Szijj\u00e1rt\u00f3.<\/p>\n The announcement came after a pro-government publication published an article claiming that foreign intelligence agencies had eavesdropped on Szijj\u00e1rt\u00f3 with the help of a Hungarian journalist, Szabolcs Panyi.<\/p>\n The report included an edited recording, made without Panyi\u2019s knowledge, in which Panyi appeared to speak to a source about a phone number used by Szijj\u00e1rt\u00f3 as part of an investigation into the Hungarian minister\u2019s communications with his Russian counterpart.<\/p>\n On Thursday, Orb\u00e1n\u2019s chief of staff, Gergely Guly\u00e1s, said charges would be filed against Panyi, who he alleged had \u201cspied against his own country in cooperation with a foreign state\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cMore and more Ukrainian spies are being exposed in Hungary,\u201d said Guly\u00e1s, echoing Orb\u00e1n\u2019s campaign strategy<\/a> to convince voters that Hungary\u2019s greatest threat lies in the war next door in Ukraine.<\/p>\n Pro-government billboards in Budapest criticising Volodymr Zelenskyy, the EU, and Hungary\u2019s opposition leader. Photograph: Attila Kisbenedek\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Writing on social media on Thursday, Panyi denied any wrongdoing. \u201cAccusing investigative journalists of espionage is virtually unprecedented in the 21st century for a member state of the European Union,\u201d he wrote. \u201cThis is really something more typical of Putin\u2019s Russia, Belarus, and similar regimes.\u201d<\/p>\n He rejected the allegation that he had collaborated with any foreign intelligence service in the wiretapping or surveillance of Szijj\u00e1rt\u00f3. \u201cOn the contrary, I tried to collect and verify, after the fact, information and fragments of information that had emerged years earlier regarding the communication between Szijj\u00e1rt\u00f3 and Lavrov,\u201d he wrote. \u201cSince 2023, I have been specifically investigating the suspicion that the relationship between P\u00e9ter Szijj\u00e1rt\u00f3 and Russian officials may have crossed legal boundaries.\u201d<\/p>\n The accusations of espionage come as Orb\u00e1n and his Fidesz party, who have long faced criticism<\/a> for weakening democratic institutions, eroding media freedom and undermining the rule of law, face an unprecedented challenge<\/a> from Magyar, a former top member of Fidesz.<\/p>\n As Hungarians grapple with economic stagnation, the rising cost of living and fraying social services, polls have suggested that Orb\u00e1n and Fidesz are trailing behind<\/a> Magyar\u2019s opposition Tisza party.<\/p>\n The hard-fought campaign is being closely watched around the world, as it could have deep implications for Europe as well as rightwing political forces.<\/p>\n Foreign interference has seemingly been rife. Several media outlets have alleged that Russian intelligence agencies as well as disinformation networks with links to Russia are seeking to sway the election in Orb\u00e1n\u2019s favour while, across the Atlantic, Donald Trump has repeatedly endorsed<\/a> Orb\u00e1n and the US vice-president, JD Vance, is preparing to visit the country before the 12 April election.<\/p>\n Earlier this week, as it became clear that the Hungarian government was targeting Panyi, one of the outlets that he works for, VSquare, said Hungary\u2019s government was \u201cresorting to authoritarian tactics to target a journalist whose reporting exposes truths inconvenient to the regime\u201d.<\/p>\n In a statement, it added<\/a>: \u201cThis is the Kremlin\u2019s modus operandi: a playbook straight out of Soviet manuals written at Lubyanka.\u201d<\/p>\n It is not the first time that Panyi, who also works for the Hungarian non-profit investigative outlet Direkt36, has ended up in the government\u2019s sights. In 2021, an investigation found that Panyi\u2019s phone had been infected<\/a> with Pegasus spyware, along with at least 10 lawyers, an opposition politician and at least four other journalists.<\/p>\n