'Freedom-loving' Hungary Irked by Obama Criticism
Hungary reacted angrily Wednesday after U.S. President Barack Obama singled out the EU member state for trying to muzzle civil society groups.
In a short statement, Hungary's foreign ministry said Obama's comments, made Tuesday in a speech in New York, were "not based on facts."
"The Hungarian people are a freedom-loving people, and would not tolerate any restrictions on their freedom," it said.
Speaking at the Clinton Foundation, Obama had said: "From Hungary to Egypt, endless regulations and overt intimidation increasingly target civil society."
Obama also accused Russia, China, Venezuela, Azerbaijan, and Egypt of intimidating civil organizations.
Since June, Hungarian authorities have investigated some 60 non-governmental organizations funded from abroad and suspected of "meddling in Hungarian politics" and criminal activity.
In July, Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has been accused of leading Hungary on an authoritarian slide since he took power in 2010, labeled NGOs "paid foreign activists".
Earlier this month the U.S. representative at a gathering of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said the probes "appear to be aimed at suppressing critical voices and restricting the space for civil society to operate freely."
Source: Agence France Presse
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