The IPI global network today strongly condemns the Hungarian government’s filing of criminal espionage charges against prominent journalist Szabolcs Panyi as an alarming escalation of pressure on independent media ahead of the April 12 election. IPI calls on Hungarian authorities to cease legal harassment of the media and respect the free and independent press as an essential element of the democratic process as election day nears.
Panyi is a prominent national security reporter who works with VSquare, a Central European investigative outlet, and Direkt36, a top independent investigative non-profit in Hungary. Panyi has recently broken major stories uncovering Russian influence operations in Hungary, and detailing Hungarian foreign minister Péter Szijjártó’s dealings with Russia.
In a press conference today, a government minister alleged that Panyi conducted spying activities in coordination with a foreign country and that his role as a journalist was a “cover activity.”
The basis for the charges stem from a secret audio recording edited and published by a Hungarian media outlet with close ties to the government in which Panyi can be heard speaking with a source to confirm Szijjártó’s phone number, as part of a journalistic investigation into the Hungarian foreign minister’s communications with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during EU Council meetings.
Panyi has denied the allegations against him, calling the use of espionage charges against a journalist “unprecedented.” A statement from VSquare condemned the government’s targeting of Panyi as a “smear campaign” “straight out of Soviet manuals.”
In 2021, Panyi was targeted by Pegasus spyware, which an international investigation revealed had been deployed by the Hungarian government against Panyi and several other Hungarian journalists and political opponents.
As Hungary’s April 12 election nears, Fidesz, the ruling party led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, has been trailing in polls that favor center-right party Tisza. The Orbán government – which has deployed the most sophisticated form of media capture of any country in the EU – has ramped up attacks on the media in recent weeks, obstructing and harassing journalists covering campaign events.
“Charging journalists as spies harkens back to the days of communism in Hungary – which is a truly alarming reminder of how far Orbán and Fidesz have strayed from the principles of freedom and liberty they once championed,” said IPI Director of Advocacy Amy Brouillette.
She added: “Freedom of the press is absolutely essential for any election to be considered democratic – and any interference in the rights and freedoms of the press undermines the democratic process itself. We therefore reiterate our demand that Fidesz respect press freedom and the democratic process by immediately ceasing its campaign of harassing, smearing, and intimidating the media. IPI stands in full solidarity with Szabolcs Panyi and with all independent journalists in Hungary.”
In October, IPI recognized Hungary’s independent media as a recipient of the 2025 IPI-IMS Free Media Pioneer Award in recognition of their innovation, adaptation, and endurance under sustained political and economic pressure.