Towards the Dismantling of Freedom of Information in Hungary

In this article we aim to illustrate how the Hungarian government uses the public law mandate to invoke pandemics, war in the neighbourhood or even the refugee crisis as a pretext to restrict public spaces and to block data on government operations and budgets. The example of Hungary illustrates the danger of what happens when a fundamental right that was institutionally guaranteed, namely the freedom of information (FOI) - which makes public life, public finances and public decisions transparent -, deteriorates. The erosion of freedom of information not only lead to the derogation of a fundamental right, but may also contribute to the opacification of the functioning of the state, which leads to the regression of public debates, declining control of public affairs, and ultimately leads to the eradication of the constitutional rule of law. This article covers legal developments in the area of freedom of information in the recent decade, however, the content of this paper is tailored and shortened to best fit in the structure of the special issue to be published.