Radio Free Europe’s Hungarian Service said Thursday it was closing down “from midnight” under orders from the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM).
The US administration said on November 7 it would shut Szabad Europa at Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s request, during the nationalist leader’s visit to Washington to US President Donald Trump.
“It’s really meant to destabilize that country,” USAGM head Kari Lake said of the station the day before the announcement.
Szabad Europa said its content would “remain available online”.
In a message to its audience, the service said its team had “worked with dedication to provide independent journalism for audiences in Hungary.”
“We are deeply grateful for the trust, engagement, and support our readers have shown us,” the statement said.
RFE/RL President and Chief Executive Officer Steve Capus praised the work of the Hungarian Service’s journalists.
“Their professionalism, dedication, and unwavering contribution to our mission have shaped our success in meaningful ways, and we remain profoundly grateful for everything they have brought to this organization,” he said in the statement carried on RFR/RL’s website.
Originally closed down following the Soviet Union’s collapse, the outlet reopened in 2020 when the US Congress approved its financing in the context of media freedom concerns in Hungary.
Since Orban’s return to power in 2010, numerous independent media outlets have ceased their activities or been bought out and transformed into mouthpieces for his Fidesz party.
State media has meanwhile been forced to follow the government line.
