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Hungarian investigative journalist accused of espionage seeks public support
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Investigative journalist Szabolcs Panyi has come under intense scrutiny after Hungary’s government filed a criminal complaint against him for alleged espionage, according to Gergely Gulyás at a recent government briefing. The accusation, claiming Panyi collaborated with a foreign state against Hungary, is highly unusual for an EU member state and has sparked widespread concern among press freedom advocates.
Panyi responded on his Facebook page, calling the charges “entirely baseless” and describing the targeting of investigative journalists with espionage accusations as unprecedented in modern Europe: a practice more commonly associated with authoritarian regimes such as Russia or Belarus.
Panyi details his investigations
In his statement, Panyi explained that he has spent over a decade documenting Russian intelligence influence in Hungarian politics. He expressed that, while the government increasingly acts in alignment with the Kremlin, he continues to trust that Hungarian judicial authorities will uphold national law rather than Russian legal norms.
He elaborated that his work has never involved actual espionage. Rather, he considers his investigations a form of “journalistic counterintelligence,” aimed at uncovering attempts by foreign actors to influence Hungarian political affairs.
Since 2023, Panyi has been probing potential legal violations in the interactions between Péter Szijjártó, Hungary’s Foreign Minister, and Russian officials, including Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister. Panyi clarified that publicly released recordings on the Mandiner platform were heavily edited and did not include discussions where he highlights the possibility of political intelligence activity benefiting Russia.
Seeking sources and public assistance
Faced with the government’s accusations, Panyi is now appealing to the public for information. He is particularly interested in evidence concerning suspicious cash or valuables transported on government or private planes used by Hungarian officials, and the handling of these shipments at Budapest Airport’s small aircraft terminal.
In his Facebook post, Panyi urged anyone with relevant information to contact him through a secure channel: spanyi [at] protonmail [dot] com. He emphasised that, despite legal threats, he will not be deterred from holding those in power accountable.
Government reaction and political context
The government’s accusations follow a leaked recording published by Mandiner, which triggered a public and political uproar. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and government officials, including Gergely Gulyás, described the case as part of a wider espionage issue in Hungary involving both the Tisza Party and foreign intelligence operatives, Telex writes.
Panyi and other observers have stressed that the allegations are part of a politically charged environment, coinciding with upcoming elections. Panyi insists his role was strictly journalistic, aimed at collecting and verifying information regarding potential irregularities in foreign influence over Hungary’s government operations.
Read more of our articles on Hungary’s upcoming parliamentary elections.
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Another public warning by the authoritarian regime called Fidesz government: “If you investigate us and find out something suspicious, this is what happens to you if you are not one of us and refuse to shut up.”
Next what we Hungarians get is dictatorship unless we end this governing Fidesz regime now.
If you got what you want, Dear Ostanus, (a Tisza majority) you would have a dictatorship – via a satellite proxy.
As it stands, the reliable Hungarian pollsters show that what you will get is a modest Fidesz victory, a plurality which will require Fidesz to have a coalition with Mi Hazánk to rule.
As God is my witness, Toroczkai László will insist on getting something from Fidesz that will benefit all Hungarians.
What might that concession from Orbán likely be?
Most likely a Mi Hazánk control over numerous national institutions that, currently, many Hungarians feel are hopelessly corrupt.
Another fine example of the often used trolling technique from this propaganda account: Bringing up nonsense claims about non-related topics to divert the focus away from the original topic – In this case, away from the fact that authoritarian Fidesz government is accusing and trying to silence an investigative journalist, who has suspicious information about Fidesz, with extremely serious made-up accusations.
100%
100% on mouton analysis. We attended a Fidesz rally this week and the vibe was one of deep respect and solidarity for each other. It was like a Rock concert, the energy was electric. In the mix of the normal Hungarian people that were there were young and old, white and brown people, no divide, despite some media propaganda outlets attempting to split up the people, Fidesz have a rock solid support, from the full spectrum of Hungarian society and the reason for this is they have provided so much supports to the average Hungarian family over the last decade and a half. Very exciting times to see the victory and history been made living here in rural Hungary.