Serious accusations against Hungary’s flagship in investigative journalism Átlátszó: “it undermines the foundations of statehood”

The “political pressure organisation” Átlátszó (atlatszo.hu), funded by foreign interest groups, is operating “an informant system that undermines the foundations of statehood” through its “Ki mit tud” and “MagyarLeaks” wesbites, Mate Tordai, the foreign affairs director of the civil group CÖF-CÖKA, told a press conference on Tuesday.

Endless public interest data requests

“Ki mit tud“, he said, was a platform for mounting “endless” public interest data requests from state bodies while the “MagyarLeaks” platform leaked and spread that data. This system of whistleblowing supported by the Open Society Institute founded by George Soros, he added, “poses a threat to Hungary and Hungarian citizens” and “offers endless opportunities for abusing the right wing.”

He insisted that Átlátszó itself carried out such fictitious activity on behalf of non-existent persons.

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Information spread through “MagyarLeaks” could not be substantially verified, so it was essentially a “disinformation platform and a tool for smear campaigns”, he said.

Sharing data with international actors

Freedom of information requests came along with obligations and responsibilities, he said, mentioning the protection of national security and the rights of others.

“Disclosing and sharing state data with international actors that serve foreign interests without authorisation violates the public interest, state sovereignty and the democratic order,” Tordai said.

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Such activities “may have criminal consequences”, he said, adding that those obtaining information for a foreign power “commit espionage” punishable for up to 15 years in prison.

Foreign-owned supermarket chains taking control

Head of trade union organisation egyenlo.hu, Csaba Bubenkó, told the press conference that six foreign-owned supermarket chains in Hungary were steadily taking control of the Hungarian food market and food industry, putting domestically owned retailers and processors at a disadvantage.

The trade union and CÖF-CÖKA want state agencies to recognise that the interests of multinationals when it comes to imports must be balanced against their export obligations so that Hungarian food producers can distribute their produce on the European market. The state should introduce measures to protect Hungarian economic interests and ensure European-level salaries for Hungarian workers, he added.

Also, he called for a review of the imposition of duty-free Ukrainian farm produce which was harmful to health.

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