Following Hungarian government's request for an indefinite extension of the state of emergency, the law voted by parliament on 30 March grant Prime minister Viktor Orbán sweeping powers to rule by decree, and the power to impose prison sentences of up to five years for promoting false information. The government has portrayed its request as a necessary response to the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic.
The International and European Federation of Journalists (IFJ and EFJ) believe that the Hungarian government is taking advantage of the Covid-19 pandemic to threaten and intimidate journalists.