The United States on June 27 denounced Hungary's implementation of a new sovereignty act and actions by the recently established Sovereignty Protection Office to target civil society and independent media organizations.
The Sovereignty Protection Office, which has been tasked with defending the country's sovereignty against foreign influence, this week launched an investigation into the Hungarian branch of the anti-corruption organization Transparency International.
The organization said on June 25 it had received a six-page letter announcing "a specific and comprehensive investigation" into Transparency International Hungary's activities and requesting financial and operational information.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller on June 27 said in a statement that the United States was "deeply concerned" by the office's "draconian actions."
The Hungarian government's attempt to “harass, intimidate, and punish independent organizations runs counter to the principles of democratic governance rooted in the rule of law," Miller said in the statement.
He said the new law, known as the Defense of National Sovereignty Act, “places no limit" on the Sovereignty Protection Office's ability to target the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Hungarians "and puts at risk any country, business entity, or individual that chooses to engage with them.”
Miller said the United States “will continue to advocate for the protection of civil society organizations and media freedom in the face of these anti-democratic measures."
It was the third time in two days that the State Department criticized the leadership of Hungary, which takes over the European Union's rotating presidency next week.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, unveiling a global report on religious freedom on June 26, accused Hungary of engaging in anti-Semitic tropes, and on June 27 he singled out Hungary in remarks about Pride month.
"In Hungary, the government is smearing, scapegoating, stigmatizing LGBTQI+ persons -- vilifying them with degrading labels, denying them equal rights, normalizing violence against them," Blinken said at a Pride reception at the State Department.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban's administration in 2021 banned the "promotion of homosexuality" among under-18s despite strong criticism from rights groups and the European Union. Gay marriage is not recognized in Hungary and only heterosexual couples can legally adopt children.
Orban has been an outspoken critic of the European Union's policies on migration and clashed with Brussels over judicial and academic independence in addition to LGBT rights. Brussels, in turn, has frozen billions of euros in funds.