Erika Schlager
@erikaschlager.bsky.social
Central Europe, Human Rights, Democracy | Former Counsel for International Law at www.csce.gov
Reposted by Erika Schlager
Some thoughts, in a hopefully more coherent form than my 300-character Bluesky posts
hungarianobserver.substack.com/p/why-are-pe...
hungarianobserver.substack.com/p/why-are-pe...
Why are Péter Magyar’s Anti-Corruption Claims so Successful?
To understand why Péter Magyar’s anti-corruption claims were so successful in rallying opposition against Orbán, consider the broader environment in which he emerged - writes Gabriela Greilinger.
hungarianobserver.substack.com
November 25, 2025 at 2:10 PM
Some thoughts, in a hopefully more coherent form than my 300-character Bluesky posts
hungarianobserver.substack.com/p/why-are-pe...
hungarianobserver.substack.com/p/why-are-pe...
Reposted by Erika Schlager
📣 Live now! FXB's Roma Program Director, Dr. @magdamatache.bsky.social has just launched her new book, The Permanence of Anti-Roma Racism: (Un)uttered Sentences" during the MEMOROBIA conference: tinyurl.com/6w9bj9wt
More information about the book: tinyurl.com/5v6hwuxh
More information about the book: tinyurl.com/5v6hwuxh
The Permanence of Anti-Roma Racism: (Un)uttered Sentences
Anti-Roma racism, one of Europe’s oldest and most enduring racisms, has been neglected in mainstream theories and discourse. This book situates anti-Roma racism within national and intra-continental h...
tinyurl.com
November 24, 2025 at 4:30 PM
📣 Live now! FXB's Roma Program Director, Dr. @magdamatache.bsky.social has just launched her new book, The Permanence of Anti-Roma Racism: (Un)uttered Sentences" during the MEMOROBIA conference: tinyurl.com/6w9bj9wt
More information about the book: tinyurl.com/5v6hwuxh
More information about the book: tinyurl.com/5v6hwuxh
Reposted by Erika Schlager
Reposted by Erika Schlager
📢 Have you registered yet?
Join us for the MEMOROBIA Conference to hear @magdamatache.bsky.social, FXB Roma Program Director, present her upcoming book, The Permanence of Anti-Roma Racism: (Un)uttered Sentences.
November 24–25, 2025, hybrid format.
Agenda and registration: hsph.me/MEMOROBIA
Join us for the MEMOROBIA Conference to hear @magdamatache.bsky.social, FXB Roma Program Director, present her upcoming book, The Permanence of Anti-Roma Racism: (Un)uttered Sentences.
November 24–25, 2025, hybrid format.
Agenda and registration: hsph.me/MEMOROBIA
November 19, 2025 at 11:00 PM
📢 Have you registered yet?
Join us for the MEMOROBIA Conference to hear @magdamatache.bsky.social, FXB Roma Program Director, present her upcoming book, The Permanence of Anti-Roma Racism: (Un)uttered Sentences.
November 24–25, 2025, hybrid format.
Agenda and registration: hsph.me/MEMOROBIA
Join us for the MEMOROBIA Conference to hear @magdamatache.bsky.social, FXB Roma Program Director, present her upcoming book, The Permanence of Anti-Roma Racism: (Un)uttered Sentences.
November 24–25, 2025, hybrid format.
Agenda and registration: hsph.me/MEMOROBIA
Reposted by Erika Schlager
Excellent reporting (in English) from Andras Szabo & Andras Petho, @direkt36.bsky.social, on the growing cracks in the Fidesz machine.
www.direkt36.hu/en/kielezett...
www.direkt36.hu/en/kielezett...
”The situation is tense” – How Orbán has tried overcome Fidesz’s internal crisis - Direkt36
Fidesz underestimated opposition leader Péter Magyar so much that they realized too late that he posed a real threat to them. Direkt36 reveals how Viktor Orbán launched his spring offensive against Ma...
www.direkt36.hu
November 18, 2025 at 1:32 AM
Excellent reporting (in English) from Andras Szabo & Andras Petho, @direkt36.bsky.social, on the growing cracks in the Fidesz machine.
www.direkt36.hu/en/kielezett...
www.direkt36.hu/en/kielezett...
Reposted by Erika Schlager
From chalk to a roar: Slovakia’s rain-soaked crowds revive the spirit of 1989
spectator.sme.sk/politics-and... #Slovakia
spectator.sme.sk/politics-and... #Slovakia
From chalk to a roar: Slovakia’s rain-soaked crowds revive the spirit of 1989
Around 50,000 people filled Bratislava’s Námestie slobody, joining tens of thousands elsewhere to mark 17 November and to protest against PM Fico’s government.
spectator.sme.sk
November 17, 2025 at 9:31 PM
From chalk to a roar: Slovakia’s rain-soaked crowds revive the spirit of 1989
spectator.sme.sk/politics-and... #Slovakia
spectator.sme.sk/politics-and... #Slovakia
Reposted by Erika Schlager
A #VelvetRevolution years in the making: What looked like a sudden uprising was the culmination of civic defiance, underground networks and a widening gap between the rulers and the ruled. spectator.sme.sk/politics-and...
A Velvet Revolution years in the making
What looked like a sudden uprising was the culmination of civic defiance, underground networks and a widening gap between the rulers and the ruled.
spectator.sme.sk
November 17, 2025 at 9:17 AM
A #VelvetRevolution years in the making: What looked like a sudden uprising was the culmination of civic defiance, underground networks and a widening gap between the rulers and the ruled. spectator.sme.sk/politics-and...
Reposted by Erika Schlager
17.11.1989 a 17.11.2025
November 16, 2025 at 6:20 PM
17.11.1989 a 17.11.2025
“[T]he White House is said to be wary of throwing its full weight behind Orbán as he faces a potential revolt at the polls that could bring the opposition to power.”
“Among the pro-Orbán circles, there will be claims that will exaggerate the importance of these preliminary statements, both on arms and energy. You can look back at the US-Turkey aircraft deal, where similar things have happened.”
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
Orbán’s claims of Trump summit triumph mask growing doubts over his grip on power
Embattled Hungarian leader says he won an indefinite reprieve from sanctions on oil and gas from Russia, but the US has since disputed this
www.theguardian.com
November 16, 2025 at 1:21 PM
“[T]he White House is said to be wary of throwing its full weight behind Orbán as he faces a potential revolt at the polls that could bring the opposition to power.”
Reposted by Erika Schlager
A wonderfully reported profile of Peter Magyar, Orban's main challenger in the upcoming Hungarian election, by @lilirutai.bsky.social in @foreignpolicy.com:
The Man Who Could Topple Orban
How Peter Magyar went from a former Fidesz insider to Hungary’s most popular politician.
foreignpolicy.com
November 10, 2025 at 3:41 PM
A wonderfully reported profile of Peter Magyar, Orban's main challenger in the upcoming Hungarian election, by @lilirutai.bsky.social in @foreignpolicy.com:
Meanwhile, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Dem Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) spearheaded a resolution calling on EU countries—name checking Hungary—to end dependence on Russian energy. 1/4
www.foreign.senate.gov/press/dem/re...
www.foreign.senate.gov/press/dem/re...
Ranking Member Shaheen, Senator Tillis, Colleagues Lead Bipartisan Resolution Urging Europe to Cut Remaining Russian Energy Ties Ahead of Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán’s White House Visit | United St...
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Thom Tillis (R-NC), Chris Coons...
www.foreign.senate.gov
November 8, 2025 at 1:14 PM
Meanwhile, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Dem Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) spearheaded a resolution calling on EU countries—name checking Hungary—to end dependence on Russian energy. 1/4
www.foreign.senate.gov/press/dem/re...
www.foreign.senate.gov/press/dem/re...
Slovakia’s Christian Democrats keep finding out that Robert Fico is still Robert Fico.
spectator.sme.sk/politics-and...
spectator.sme.sk/politics-and...
News digest: A missing reindeer and Fico’s hunt for the faithful - The Slovak Spectator
Museum purges roll on, a Nigerian footballer finds home in Slovakia, and a Canadian company riles Pezinok.
spectator.sme.sk
November 8, 2025 at 12:39 PM
Slovakia’s Christian Democrats keep finding out that Robert Fico is still Robert Fico.
spectator.sme.sk/politics-and...
spectator.sme.sk/politics-and...
Reposted by Erika Schlager
Trump and Orban will meet at the White House today.
David Pressman, former US Ambassador to the UN Security Council and Hungary, explains what Orban is doing in Washington, and offers a very strong take on what Trump and Orban really have in common.
time.com/7332003/vikt...
David Pressman, former US Ambassador to the UN Security Council and Hungary, explains what Orban is doing in Washington, and offers a very strong take on what Trump and Orban really have in common.
time.com/7332003/vikt...
Viktor Orbán and Donald Trump’s Attacks on Independence
Independence is "fundamental to the health of any democracy—and it has been systematically dismantled in Hungary."
time.com
November 7, 2025 at 12:14 PM
Trump and Orban will meet at the White House today.
David Pressman, former US Ambassador to the UN Security Council and Hungary, explains what Orban is doing in Washington, and offers a very strong take on what Trump and Orban really have in common.
time.com/7332003/vikt...
David Pressman, former US Ambassador to the UN Security Council and Hungary, explains what Orban is doing in Washington, and offers a very strong take on what Trump and Orban really have in common.
time.com/7332003/vikt...
Trump meets Orban again today.
I previously observed: “When…the amb. to Hungary appointed by Donald Trump said that Mr Trump would love to have what Viktor Orbán has, he didn’t mean Viktor Orbán’s policies …
I previously observed: “When…the amb. to Hungary appointed by Donald Trump said that Mr Trump would love to have what Viktor Orbán has, he didn’t mean Viktor Orbán’s policies …
November 7, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Trump meets Orban again today.
I previously observed: “When…the amb. to Hungary appointed by Donald Trump said that Mr Trump would love to have what Viktor Orbán has, he didn’t mean Viktor Orbán’s policies …
I previously observed: “When…the amb. to Hungary appointed by Donald Trump said that Mr Trump would love to have what Viktor Orbán has, he didn’t mean Viktor Orbán’s policies …
Reposted by Erika Schlager
Stakeholders described a severely restricted media environment within which independent journalism operates, while also highlighting the deep political polarisation shaping the run-up to the expected April 2026 elections
Hungary: Media freedom remains in crisis mode ahead of 2026 elections – ipi.media
In the past year, Fidesz has maintained the most sophisticated system of media capture and control yet seen within the European Union.
ipi.media
November 7, 2025 at 11:37 AM
Stakeholders described a severely restricted media environment within which independent journalism operates, while also highlighting the deep political polarisation shaping the run-up to the expected April 2026 elections
Reposted by Erika Schlager
These tactics - data breach of an opposition database used for "we know where you live" type of intimidation, threat of prosecution and national security inquiry, etc. - are depressingly familiar from Russia from the past 5-6 years.
www.euractiv.com/news/orban-r...
www.euractiv.com/news/orban-r...
Orbán rival says cyberattack behind database leak | Euractiv
Magyar also accused Russia of orchestrating the attacks to keep Orbán in power
www.euractiv.com
November 4, 2025 at 6:13 PM
These tactics - data breach of an opposition database used for "we know where you live" type of intimidation, threat of prosecution and national security inquiry, etc. - are depressingly familiar from Russia from the past 5-6 years.
www.euractiv.com/news/orban-r...
www.euractiv.com/news/orban-r...
Reposted by Erika Schlager
My short comment in The Guardian about the important role of Blikk in the Hungarian media market. Ringier, the publisher of the tabloid was sold to a pro-government owner just a few days ago. Leaving of all international publishers was an unimaginable scenario after the 1990 political transition.
For more than a decade now Hungary has served as a model for other “illiberal democracies” around the world. Donald Trump and his allies have long praised Orbán’s Hungary even as it plunges in press freedom rankings.
- My piece from Budapest.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
- My piece from Budapest.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
Shock as Orbán allies take ownership of Hungary’s most-read newspaper
Blikk, a tabloid with about 3 million online monthly readers, bought by pro-Orbán media group Indamedia
www.theguardian.com
November 5, 2025 at 9:13 AM
My short comment in The Guardian about the important role of Blikk in the Hungarian media market. Ringier, the publisher of the tabloid was sold to a pro-government owner just a few days ago. Leaving of all international publishers was an unimaginable scenario after the 1990 political transition.
Reposted by Erika Schlager
⚖️🗺️Our friends at World Justice Project just released the 2025 edition of the Rule of Law Index. Unsurprisingly, they found an accelerating decline in the state of the rule of law globally. Let's take a look at Central & Eastern Europe and how this trend plays out there. 1/
October 31, 2025 at 8:16 AM
⚖️🗺️Our friends at World Justice Project just released the 2025 edition of the Rule of Law Index. Unsurprisingly, they found an accelerating decline in the state of the rule of law globally. Let's take a look at Central & Eastern Europe and how this trend plays out there. 1/
I still want to know: why did then-Hungarian president Katalin Novak pardon a convicted terrorist? Who, in the Orban government, moved that paperwork to her desk?
edition.cnn.com/2023/04/30/w...
edition.cnn.com/2023/04/30/w...
Hungary pardoned convicted terrorist on the eve of Pope visit | CNN
A far-right activist convicted of terrorism was among several prisoners pardoned in Hungary before the Pope’s official visit to the country this week, it has emerged.
edition.cnn.com
October 29, 2025 at 10:42 PM
I still want to know: why did then-Hungarian president Katalin Novak pardon a convicted terrorist? Who, in the Orban government, moved that paperwork to her desk?
edition.cnn.com/2023/04/30/w...
edition.cnn.com/2023/04/30/w...
Reposted by Erika Schlager
Reposted by Erika Schlager
💥🛢️Trump’s NATO envoy isn’t buying Viktor Orbán’s “landlocked country” excuse:
🚫🇷🇺“Hungary, unlike many of its neighbours, has not made any plans or taken any active steps... That pipeline is most likely to be shut off in the coming years... We’re going to help them get off Russian oil and gas.”
🚫🇷🇺“Hungary, unlike many of its neighbours, has not made any plans or taken any active steps... That pipeline is most likely to be shut off in the coming years... We’re going to help them get off Russian oil and gas.”
October 27, 2025 at 9:27 AM
💥🛢️Trump’s NATO envoy isn’t buying Viktor Orbán’s “landlocked country” excuse:
🚫🇷🇺“Hungary, unlike many of its neighbours, has not made any plans or taken any active steps... That pipeline is most likely to be shut off in the coming years... We’re going to help them get off Russian oil and gas.”
🚫🇷🇺“Hungary, unlike many of its neighbours, has not made any plans or taken any active steps... That pipeline is most likely to be shut off in the coming years... We’re going to help them get off Russian oil and gas.”
Censorship fail.
📸 There's a story behind this breathtaking shot of Hungary’s opposition rally marking the 1956 revolution: Orbán’s government banned drones to try conceal the crowd’s size. Yet a passenger on a landing plane caught the scene in Budapest from above — the photo hit Reddit and went viral instantly.
October 25, 2025 at 11:57 AM
Censorship fail.
Reposted by Erika Schlager
Poland "cannot guarantee" that, if Vladimir Putin tried to fly through Polish airspace on his way to a proposed meeting with Donald Trump in Hungary, he would not be ordered to land and arrested on an ICC warrant, says foreign minister @radek-sikorski.bsky.social.
Poland "cannot guarantee" Putin would not be arrested if he flies through Polish airspace to Hungary
notesfrompoland.com
October 21, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Poland "cannot guarantee" that, if Vladimir Putin tried to fly through Polish airspace on his way to a proposed meeting with Donald Trump in Hungary, he would not be ordered to land and arrested on an ICC warrant, says foreign minister @radek-sikorski.bsky.social.
Reposted by Erika Schlager
