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In this interview, András Kádár, co-chair of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, reflects both on his personal journey in human rights advocacy and the growing dissensus over liberal democracy in Hungary. He starts by talking about his commitment to fundamental rights, driven by a desire to ensure justice for the underprivileged against more powerful actors. Then he turns to the radical change in the operation of Hungarian democracy that followed the Fidesz government’s entry into power in 2010. This development has resulted in the erosion of checks and balances, which has forced the Helsinki Committee to shift its attention to rule of law issues. Kádár outlines the European Union's response to the decline of the rule of law in Hungary, detailing its evolution from an initial scepticism towards the concerns raised by Hungarian civil society organisations to a more assertive, albeit still insufficiently effective, strategy. He believes that the unprecedented level of polarisation in Hungarian and European society poses the most significant challenge to democracy nowadays, which can only be alleviated through effective communication. Kádár concludes the interview with cautious optimism, anticipating positive changes in the long run following a temporary downward trend.

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‘The Question Is How Much of a Downturn We Will Have to Endure Before Things Start Looking Up’. Interview with András Kádár

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年

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  • Viktor Kazai

摘要

In this interview, András Kádár, co-chair of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, reflects both on his personal journey in human rights advocacy and the growing dissensus over liberal democracy in Hungary. He starts by talking about his commitment to fundamental rights, driven by a desire to ensure justice for the underprivileged against more powerful actors. Then he turns to the radical change in the operation of Hungarian democracy that followed the Fidesz government’s entry into power in 2010. This development has resulted in the erosion of checks and balances, which has forced the Helsinki Committee to shift its attention to rule of law issues. Kádár outlines the European Union's response to the decline of the rule of law in Hungary, detailing its evolution from an initial scepticism towards the concerns raised by Hungarian civil society organisations to a more assertive, albeit still insufficiently effective, strategy. He believes that the unprecedented level of polarisation in Hungarian and European society poses the most significant challenge to democracy nowadays, which can only be alleviated through effective communication. Kádár concludes the interview with cautious optimism, anticipating positive changes in the long run following a temporary downward trend.