Hungary: Government Threatens University with Closure

Washington

In response to the Hungarian government’s legislation targeting Budapest’s Central European University for closure, Freedom House issued the following statement:
 
“Prime Minister Orban is flagrantly undermining what remains of Hungary’s democracy by demanding that the Central European University close unless it meets new, intentionally arbitrary requirements designed to be impossible to fulfill,” said Arch Puddington, distinguished fellow for democracy studies at Freedom House. "Central European University for 25 years has served as a pillar of free expression, critical debate, and the open exchange of ideas in Hungary and across Europe. The government, which has made extraordinary efforts to undermine civil society, should withdraw the legislation, a measure singling out CEU, its most prominent funders, and academic freedom in Hungary.”

Hungary is rated Free in Freedom in the World 2017, Partly Free in Freedom of the Press 2016, Free in Freedom on the Net 2016, and receives a democracy score of 3.29 on a scale of 1 to 7, with 7 as the worst possible score, in Nations in Transit 2016.