Hungarian rights advocates have raised fears over new legislation that they say could put more pressure on independent media and civil society groups.

The draft bill, which Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party is expected to submit on Tuesday, is set to propose creating a new office tasked with investigating activities that threaten Hungary’s “sovereignty”.

The government has shared few details about its plans. But the Fidesz leadership has indicated that the new legislation could apply to foreign funding of political parties, and possibly also media outlets and civil society organizations that it has accused of operating under the influence of Washington and/or Brussels.

The Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orbán, who has spent more than a decade consolidating power and extending his party’s influence over all aspects of public life, has long promoted the idea that foreign entities are meddling in Hungarian politics and that his critics are acting against the national interest.

In 2017, Hungary controversially approved an anti-NGO law, which the government argued was designed to ensure the transparency of groups receiving donations from abroad. The court of justice of the EU later ruled that the law violated Hungarians’ rights.

Despite the legal setbacks and international criticism, the prime minister has continued to argue that his domestic critics are controlled by external forces.

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