What does the government want? Fidesz's vice-president, Szilárd Németh, along with MPs of the governing parties, launched a verbal attack against several civil organizations that receive part of their funding from foreign donors.

The Hungarian government has been promising to close down / merge institutions belonging under the governance of ministries and this plan has finally been realized. Why did it happen and why is it such a problem? What were the responsibilities of these institutions so far and what will happen to their previous tasks now? Let us explain.

Despite international success, freedom of information is on a slippery domestic slope – and not in favour of the public.

Civil society leaders fear similar bureaucratic obstacles in the future could hamstring groups that play a leading role in highlighting official corruption, defending refugees and migrants, and promoting human rights.

Although parents, teachers and child protection professionals have jointly called on MPs during the past weeks not to vote for the restriction of the Child Protection Act, the Hungarian Parliament has passed an amendment of the law.

This past Saturday, September 17th, 2016, the Cairo Felony Court issued an order freezing the assets of Hossam Bahgat, the former director and founder of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), as well as Gamal Eid, the director and founder of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI); the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies and its founder and director Bahey eldin Hassan; the Hisham Mubarak Law Center and its director, lawyer Mustafa al-Hassan; and the Egyptian Center for the Right to Education and its director, Abd al-Hafiz Tayel.