Hungary is a multiparty parliamentary democracy, the US State Department said in its 2018 country reports on human rights practices in which it also cited reports about the “intimidation” of civil groups in the country.
The report published on Wednesday quotes the findings of the OSCE’s election observers that “fundamental rights and freedoms were respected overall, but exercised in an adverse climate” in last year’s general election.
It also cites the OSCE mission as concluding that certain elements of the election were “at odds with OSCE commitments” and that “the widespread government information campaign was largely indistinguishable from Fidesz campaigning, giving it a clear advantage.”
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The document also mentions reports of “political intimidation of and legal restrictions on civil society organizations”.
It also touches on prison conditions in the country, noting the problems of overcrowding, poor physical conditions and occasional reports by NGOs of physical violence.
On the featured photo: PM Viktor Orbán and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Photo by Balázs Szecsődi/PM’s Press Office