Hope for press freedom to be restored in Hungary after Orbán’s fall Viktor Orbán's crushing defeat in the latest elections has triggered a wave of hope for a major overhaul of media freedom and democracy in Hungary.

What's next for independent media in Hungary after 16 years of repression under Viktor Orbán? Read an interview with the Lab's expert advisor, Bea Bodrogi in @thefixmedia.bsky.social: thefix.media/2026/04/20/h...

From ‘stink bugs’ to ‘enemies of the people’: how Viktor Orbán blazed a trail for Trump’s media assaults | Amrit Singh Hungary’s prime minister has systematically attacked independent media. The parallels with the US are chilling, says academic Amrit Singh

Orbán has conducted a systematic 16-year attack on independent media. But media repression isn’t just a Hungarian problem, it is the most common weapon in the authoritarian arsenal.

The parallels with the US are chilling.

Read our latest in @theguardian.com: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Webinar: Media freedom in Hungary at a crossroads ahead of election – ipi.media As the general election approaches on 12 April, the fate of media freedom in Hungary stands at yet another major crossroads.

RSVP: "Webinar: Media freedom in Hungary at a crossroads ahead of election"

2 of April at 15:00 CET

ipi.media/events/webin...

We are pleased to announce the NYC launch of our new documentary: Losing Judgement: Mexico's Judicial Reform. The short film will be followed by a panel discussion about the larger threat to judicial independence under autocratization.

RSVP: forms.gle/HjxBq4MiqEHY...

ES: Cuando la justicia se pone en riesgo, documentar es resistir. En el marco de hashtag#195PeríodoCIDH presentamos “Cuando perdimos el juicio”, un documental sobre la reforma judicial en México y sus impactos en la independencia judicial y la democracia. Acompáñanos el 10/marzo.

Join us on Thursday, March 12 for a roundtable discussion during #CSW70 to learn about the challenges and impact of judicial persecution through a gender lens.

👉In-person registration: connect.vancecenter.org/l/1106653/20...

👉Virtual registration: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

EN: When justice is at risk, documentation is an act of resistance. As part of the 195th session of the IACHR, the Lab, alongside partners, will present “Losing Judgment,” a documentary about judicial reform in Mexico and its impact on judicial independence and democracy. Join us, no RSVP required.

ES: Cuando la justicia se pone en riesgo, documentar es resistir. En el marco de hashtag#195PeríodoCIDH presentamos “Cuando perdimos el juicio”, un documental sobre la reforma judicial en México y sus impactos en la independencia judicial y la democracia. Acompáñanos el 10/marzo.

⚖️ Cuando la justicia se pone en riesgo, 📷documentar es resistir.

En el marco de #195PeríodoCIDH presentamos “Cuando perdimos el juicio”, un documental sobre la reforma judicial en México.

How Orbán systematically suffocated the Hungarian media over the past 15 years Viktor Orbán has also pledged, in his annual address earlier this month, to “clear out” after the April elections media and civil society organisations deemed to threaten “sovereignty.” Fidesz already...

It took Orbán 15 years to bring Hungary's once-pluralistic media sector to its knees, according to the Rule of Law Lab's Amrit Singh and Bea Bodrogi in @euobserver.com.

Now, the EU’s next steps will serve as a definitive test for the future of democracy.

euobserver.com/203675/how-o...

How to Get Away With Repressing the Media - Transitions As Hungary sinks to the bottom of EU press-freedom rankings, a new international report details how legal and economic tools were used to weaken independent media without resorting to formal censorshi...

Hungary is not the only country experiencing the repression of independent media. However, the Lab's analysis with @mertekmonitor.bsky.social shows that it is possible to systematically undermine media freedom without resorting to overt censorship. tol.org/client/artic...

Today, in collaboration with @mertekmonitor.bsky.social, the Lab issued a report documenting how media capture and targeted pressure work together to narrow the space for independent journalism in Hungary. It proposes recommendations for countering this repression.

www.law.nyu.edu/rule-law-lab...

ICYMI: As the Mexican government prepares a new proposal for electoral reform, it is essential that any changes preserve voting rights and electoral integrity.

Read our latest report: www.law.nyu.edu/rule-law-lab...

The Lab is proud to launch a new report with our local partners in Mexico, outlining binding international obligations that require the government to protect decades of progress in electoral independence.

👉 www.law.nyu.edu/rule-law-lab...

Mexico has one of the most effective and independent electoral commissions in the world.

In August 2025, Mexico’s government announced that it intended to introduce a new constitutional amendment to reform the election system.

Autocrats have joined forces and are deploying common tactics to consolidate power. Why shouldn't democracy advocates learn across borders too?

Read the Lab's latest @democracyproject.bsky.social on why transnational learning is essential to restoring democracy democracyproject.org/posts/transn...

Join us next Friday in NYC or online for a discussion on the Rule of Law Lab's latest report, "Democracy Under Siege: Georgia's Autocratic Takeover" with the @remarquenyu.bsky.social

Read the report: www.law.nyu.edu/rule-law-lab...

RSVP: www.law.nyu.edu/events/democ...

Georgian MP who accused west of ‘blackmail’ appointed security chief as report warns of autocratic takeover Mamuka Mdinaradze appointed as study says his Georgian Dream party has consolidated control

Read @theguardian.com coverage of our new report with Gnomon Wise Research Institute, which documents how authoritarian attacks have manifested in the country of Georgia.

Download the report: www.law.nyu.edu/rule-law-lab...

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...

👉 Read the press release: www.law.nyu.edu/rule-law-lab...

👉 Download the report and key recommendations on how to restore and strengthen democracy in Georgia: www.law.nyu.edu/rule-law-lab...

How did Georgia 🇬🇪 go from a bastion of democracy to a model of autocratic decline in just a few years?  

The Rule of Law Lab and Gnomon Wise Research Institute have released a first-of-its-kind report that records the Ivanishvili regime's repressive tactics to entrench authoritarian control.

Thank you to to The Inter-American Dialogue for hosting the Rule of Law Lab to discuss what's next for Mexico's judiciary.

A central theme of the discussion was how the new judicial reform reshapes the balance of powers and the composition of Mexico’s Supreme Court. thedialogue.org/analysis/onl...

Le Lab et Article 19 saluent les mesures prises par le Sénégal en vue d'adopter la première loi sur l'accès à l'information du pays. Les organisations ont appelé à améliorer le projet de loi afin de le mettre en conformité avec les normes juridiques internationales. www.law.nyu.edu/rule-law-lab...

The Rule of Law Lab and @article19.bsky.social welcome Senegal’s steps towards adopting the country’s first access to information law. The organizations called for improvements to the bill to align it with international legal standards. www.law.nyu.edu/rule-law-lab...

Rule of Law Lab The Rule of Law Lab is a non-partisan institute which studies and deploys legal tools—legal research, documentation, litigation, and advocacy—in close collaboration with local practitioners and academ...

The Lab remains a non-partisan institute that studies and deploys legal tools, including legal research, documentation, litigation, and advocacy, to protect democracy and the rule of law around the world.

👉 Visit our website: www.law.nyu.edu/rule-law-lab

We are pleased to announce that as of August 1st, the work of the Rule of Law Impact Lab will continue at @nyulaw.bsky.social as the Rule of Law Lab.

👉 Read the press release: www.law.nyu.edu/news/new-fac...

Este caso forma parte de un patrón más amplio de abuso de poder por parte del Ministerio Público en Guatemala. En 2024, publicamos un informe detallado sobre esta preocupante tendencia. Por encima de la ley: El Ministerio Público en Guatemala 🔗 law.stanford.edu/wp-content/u...

El Rule of Law Impact Lab de @stanfordlaw.bsky.social condena el uso arbitrario de leyes antiterroristas en Guatemala contra los líderes indígenas Luis Pacheco y Héctor Chaclán. Protestar pacíficamente no es terrorismo. Lee nuestra declaración completa:

If France wants to continue to be governed by the rule of law and not follow in the regressive footsteps of other declining democracies, it must respect the independence of its judiciary.

🇫🇷 Read the Lab's latest op-ed in
@mediapart.fr blogs.mediapart.fr/henri-thulli...

Trump’s attacks on law firms are an attack on law itself | David Cole and Amrit Singh In unprecedented orders, the president is targeting lawyers simply for filing cases he opposes. And firms are surrendering

"If the US is to be governed by the rule of law, lawyers and law firms cannot bow down to such unlawful assaults on the legal profession’s independence," writes @stanfordlaw.bsky.social's Amrit Singh & @georgetownlaw.bsky.social's David Cole in @theguardian.com

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Georgia Shows Why U.S. Policy in Eurasia Is Dangerously Outdated Unlike Washington, both China and Russia have developed continental designs for Eurasia.

Georgia was once considered a bastion of democracy, but lately it has been forced down an authoritarian path.

With few avenues left, continuing U.S. support will be crucial for sustaining its defense of democracy, writes our Amrit Singh in @foreignpolicy.com foreignpolicy.com/2024/12/23/g...