The raids were ordered despite the fact that Ökotárs’s books are audited each year by an independent body with no problems detected so far, and that Ökotárs had agreed to cooperate with the investigation in every way. The raids were preceded by government steps undermining the credibility of the work of Hungarian NGOs.

These civil organisations play a crucial role in human rights, education, environmental protection and social services, and their harassment by the government must stop, AI said.

The house search was conducted on Monday at the premises of the Ökotárs Foundation and the DemNet Foundation. Cabinet chief János Lázár said the authorities sought to find out the truth about management of the Norway funds and insisted it was not unusual by police to conduct a house raid where there was a suspected 400 million forint (EUR 1.3m) embezzlement charge.

Vidar Helgesen, Norway’s minister for European affairs, said on Tuesday that the police raids carried out in Hungary were “unacceptable” and that Hungary was distancing itself from European democratic norms.

Source www.hungarymatters.hu

Follow that link to sign-up for MTI’s twice-daily newsletter.