The annual human rights country report has long been a flashpoint in the souring relations between former US President Joe Biden’s administration and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government. This year, however, the tone has shifted dramatically. The recently published report under Donald Trump’s presidency makes clear that Washington is no longer in the business of lecturing its allies on LGBTQ+ rights, perceived corruption, and similar topics.
As State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Tristan Azbej wrote in a Facebook post: ‘the era of political attacks in US–Hungarian relations is over.’ He added: ‘The time of respect has come,’ contrasting the 2024 country report’s Hungary chapter with the 2023 version—still issued under Biden—which he said was filled with false claims and narratives pushed by the Soros network and its NGO affiliates.
Azbej noted that the latest report praises Hungary’s human rights record and protection of human dignity in several areas. It acknowledges government action against human rights abuses, states there has been no regression in the overall human rights situation, and highlights that Hungary treats the fight against antisemitism as a priority, providing a free and inclusive environment for the Jewish community.
‘What was left out of the report: the tediously familiar slanders and distortions about government measures, along with the woke accusations penned by the gender lobby,’ Azbej remarked. ‘This makes it clear that President Trump and the Republican administration view our country as a friend, and that the current human rights report has brought us closer to reality.’
According to the 16-page document on the US State Department’s website, there were no credible reports of significant human rights abuses in Hungary in 2024. The report states that the government took appropriate steps to identify and hold accountable officials who committed abuses and also identified areas where improvements could be made.
It notes that in February 2024, the Sovereignty Protection Office was established to monitor organizations with foreign connections—such as Transparency International Hungary and the investigative website Átlátszó.hu—to determine whether they served foreign lobbying interests. On 28 October, the office concluded that Átlátszó, in addition to receiving foreign funding, had engaged in activities aimed at influencing state and social decision-making processes and was part of a complex international network representing the interests of its financiers, causing significant political, economic, and social damage to Hungary.
On press freedom, the report states that the government respected freedom of expression. It also reiterates that Hungary prioritizes the fight against antisemitism, ensuring a free and inclusive environment for the country’s Jewish community.
In contrast, the 2023 report accused Hungary of a marked deterioration in human rights during that period. It cited the erosion of judicial independence and arbitrary interference in the legal system, along with the suppression of media freedom through political control of the press and professional smear campaigns. It highlighted persistent discrimination against LGBTQ+ people, including public vilification and the enforcement of the 2021 child protection law, widely criticized as an anti-LGBTQ ‘propaganda’ measure. The report also documented the pushback of migrants and asylum seekers at Hungary’s border with Serbia, severely limiting access to asylum procedures, and pointed to entrenched corruption and state capture, noting that the European Union had withheld funds over serious rule-of-law concerns.
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