Action for Democracy strongly condemns that the Hungarian government used the secret services for political purposes when monitoring our organization's activities in Hungary. However, we read the so-called analysis with great interest, and, in places, with great amusement, especially since after the squandering of taxpayers' money, the leadership of the National Information Centre reached the same conclusion as we did: all our support was entirely legal.
As for the facts, neither we nor the Hungarian public can be surprised, as we have consistently reported our activities to the public since March. We were pleased that the leadership of the Hungarian National Information Centre confirmed the legality of our operations, declaring that "Since foreign funding of any kind to political parties is prohibited both in Hungary and in leading EU member states, and their budgets are under increased scrutiny, the use of these channels of foreign funding must have been deliberate." We are proud to say that we have — similar to other international foundations and organizations, such as the European Union — supported the defence of democracy and the rule of law. We have done so in absolute compliance with all relevant laws and regulations. As the European Commission's recent decision shows, we are not alone in our concerns about the state of democracy and the rule of law in Hungary.
We consider the report’s sinister tone about the extensive international network Action for Democracy’s founders and advisory board members, and its insinuations about “close connections to the US government” delusional. Our funding decisions are completely independent of any government or other external influence. To date, we have not received any funding from the National Endowment for Democracy.
It is unacceptable that the Hungarian government is using the intelligence services for political purposes, putting the services themselves in an uncomfortable position, as the report's often far-fetched findings demonstrate. We find it extremely worrying that the government has deployed the entire state apparatus in a smear campaign against Action for Democracy, MMM and Datadat, and is openly using the secret services, the police, and the tax authorities for political purposes. This is their way of intimidating Hungarian civil society inside and outside Hungary's borders.
Action for Democracy will take the necessary diplomatic and legal steps to respond to the ongoing attacks.
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Further information:
Molnár Anett, Eurolex Consulting Kft.
+36704532782 anett.molnar@eurolex.hu
Action for Democracy is a non-profit, non-partisan organization. It is funded by donations from individuals and foundations. Action for Democracy's Advisory Board is made up of internationally renowned academics, diplomats and public figures.
Action for Democracy website: https://actionfordemocracy.org/
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