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Radio Free Europe Closes Hungarian Service Szabad Europa Amid U.S. Funding Dispute

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has closed its Hungarian service, Szabad Europa, effective immediately. The U.S.-funded outlet thanked its audience and staff and said archived content will remain online. The closure follows a legal and political dispute after the U.S. administration sought to curtail funding for RFE/RL and other agencies. The move was announced days after the administration informed Congress it planned to end the service and shortly before a White House meeting with Hungary's Viktor Orbán.

04:48 AM, 11/22/2025Politics
Radio Free Europe Closes Hungarian Service Szabad Europa Amid U.S. Funding Dispute

Nov. 21 — Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty announced on Friday that its Hungarian service, Szabad Europa, is shutting down immediately.

The U.S.-funded outlet said it was "deeply grateful for the trust, engagement and support" shown by its readers and listeners. Szabad Europa traced its roots to broadcasts that began in 1950 and continued until the early 1990s; the service was later relaunched to provide Hungarians with an independent source of news and analysis.

RFE/RL said Szabad Europa was part of its nonprofit, multimedia network that reaches audiences across multiple countries with local and regional reporting, analysis and debate.

Earlier this year, the Trump administration issued an executive order seeking to defund RFE/RL and several other agencies overseen by the U.S. Agency for Global Media. A federal judge later ruled that the administration could not unilaterally shut services that Congress had already appropriated funds for, creating a legal dispute over the agency's future funding and operations.

On Nov. 5, the administration notified Congress that it planned to close the Hungarian service — a move announced shortly before Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met with President Trump at the White House. Orbán's government has in recent years strengthened ties with friendly media outlets and taken measures against outlets it views as critical.

"We are grateful for the audience's attention and support from the first day of our renewed operation, and were honored to provide them with unique and original stories," said Tibor Vovesz, the outgoing head of Szabad Europa.

The president and CEO of RFE/RL also thanked the Hungarian service's journalists and staff for their "unwavering contribution to our mission." The organization said that Szabad Europa's archive and published content are expected to remain accessible online.

Context: RFE/RL is historically known for broadcasting into the Soviet bloc and eastern Europe during the Cold War and is credited by many media historians with playing a role in supporting free information across the region. The closure of Szabad Europa reflects broader tensions over funding, editorial independence and the role of international broadcasting in contemporary geopolitics.

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