Thousands join media law protest outside Hungarian parliament

Jan 27, 2011, 20:22 GMT

Budapest - Thousands called on the Hungarian government to repeal new media laws that they see as a threat to press freedom during a demonstration in front of the parliament building on Thursday evening.

Protestors waved banners proclaiming 'There is no democracy without a free press,' in the second large-scale demonstration in as many weeks against media laws that came into force this year.

The protest - organized through social networking websites - proves that 'critical voices cannot be silenced,' said Balazs Denes, head of the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union, a pressure group.

Critics are concerned that a new Media Council, composed of government nominees with nine-year tenures, is solely responsible for interpreting legal requirements for 'balanced' reporting that respects 'human dignity,' and has the power to issue potentially ruinous financial penalties.

The European Union's executive is currently waiting for Hungary to answer an official letter that expressed 'serious doubts' over the compatibility of the new media regulations with EU law.

The Hungarian government has said it will reply within the two- week deadline, which expires at the end of next week.

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