In April 2026, the government of Viktor Orbán was removed from office after his Fidesz party was defeated in the parliamentary elections by the opposition Tisza Party, ending Orbán’s 16 years in power. Throughout the Orbán regime, independent arts and culture came under sustained pressure, with artists and cultural workers frequently at the forefront of political repression. While the newly appointed Minister for Social Relations and Culture, Zoltán Tarr, has made statements suggesting a more supportive approach, whether these will translate into meaningful change remains a matter of concern. Every four and a half years, each United Nations member state comes before the UN Human Rights Council at the Palais des Nations in Geneva to report on its commitments to protect human rights in its country, in a process known as the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). Other member states then comment on the state’s report and make recommendations for areas of improvement. It is also an opportunity for civil society organisations to make submissions outlining their concerns.
Ahead of Hungary’s UPR, scheduled to take place in November 2026, Freemuse, AICA International, and AICA Hungary delivered a submission that warned that artistic freedom remains under serious pressure despite formal human rights protections and recent promises of cultural openness. The submission argues that Hungary has not relied primarily on overt censorship, but on indirect control: centralised funding, opaque governance structures, politically aligned foundations, and laws framed around “child protection,” sovereignty, and national identity.
The concern is especially urgent in light of a 28 April statement posted by Minister Zoltán Tarr, on his Facebook site in which he said: “Transparency, dialogue, and decisions not made in secret. This is what awaits us in the field of cultural life as well. Let us free our communities and Hungarian culture together.” While this rhetoric signals a possible change in direction, the UPR submission shows that Hungary’s artistic sector requires structural reform, not only new language.
Cultural institutions placed under political influence
The submission states that Hungary has consolidated influence over cultural production through administrative and financial mechanisms rather than direct bans. In April 2021, universities and cultural institutions were transferred to private foundations led by government appointees, including allies of Viktor Orbán. This has raised concerns about reduced transparency, weakened institutional autonomy, and the erosion of academic and artistic freedom. The submission stresses that these measures can limit independent artistic expression, critical discourse, and diversity in cultural production.
The submission identifies the 2021 “child protection” law as a major threat to artistic freedom. The law restricts the representation of LGBTI+ themes in education, media, advertising, and cultural content accessible to minors. According to the submission, these restrictions risk censoring artworks that address LGBTI+ themes or are created by LGBTI+ artists. Institutions have reportedly responded with self-censorship, including removing words such as “queer” from artwork descriptions.
The law has also been extended to exhibitions. In November 2023, the head of Hungary’s National Museum was dismissed during the World Press Photo exhibition after political pressure over images depicting LGBTI+ people. Soon after, the Museum of Ethnography barred minors from part of a photo exhibition showing homosexuality.
Sovereignty and transparency laws risk further shrinking civic and cultural space
The submission also raises concerns about legislation framed around national sovereignty and public transparency. The Sovereignty Protection Act created a state body empowered to investigate activities considered threatening to Hungary’s sovereignty. Although formally directed at political influence and foreign funding, the submission warns that it also affects cultural expression, research, and civil society.
The proposed “Transparency of Public Life” bill is similarly concerning because it could regulate or restrict NGOs, media, and cultural actors receiving foreign funding. Even without full implementation, the submission says artists critical of the government already face growing difficulties accessing funding, resources, and professional opportunities.
Public funding has become a tool of exclusion
A central concern in the submission is the use of cultural funding to reward alignment and marginalise dissent. Hungarian artists critical of the government report that state support has become increasingly difficult to obtain and sometimes appears futile without conformity to government expectations. The submission cites filmmakers’ concerns that the government-controlled National Film Institute overwhelmingly funds films aligned with Viktor Orbán’s right-wing ideology, while films critically examining Russia’s historical role are effectively excluded.
These pressures have contributed to self-censorship, professional compromise, and the outflow of artistic talent from Hungary.
Freemuse, AICA International, and AICA Hungary call on Hungary to take concrete steps towards protecting cultural and artistic rights, prevent harassment of and undue pressure against artists; protect dissenting and LGBTI+ related artistic expression from discrimination and vilification; ensure transparent, independent, and non-discriminatory cultural funding; remove undue restrictions on foreign funding; and decentralise cultural institutions to support creativity and free artistic expression.
You can read the joint UPR submission by Freemuse, AICA International and AICA Hungary here.