BUDAPEST, March 17 (Reuters) – A leading international press freedom group has urged Hungarian authorities to investigate the forcible removal of two reporters from a campaign event, saying it marked a “new low” for Hungary in the run-up to an election.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government has long been accused by the European Union and pro-democracy groups of curbing the media, accusations which it denies, but the action taken against the reporters has led to new criticism.
Independent news site Telex filed a criminal complaint last week after the mayor of the town of Csákberény forced two of its reporters out of a campaign event on March 10 at which the main speakers were from Orban’s governing Fidesz party.
The reporters’ removal “while reporting on a public campaign event marks a new low and is a deeply worrying signal about press freedom in Hungary,” Attila Mong, the CPJ’s Europe representative, said in a statement.
“Authorities must condemn such violence, make clear that the physical obstruction of journalists has no place in an EU member state, hold those responsible to account, and guarantee that journalists can report freely in the run-up to elections.”
Thibaut Bruttin, Director General of Reporters Without Borders, said the incident was “symptomatic of the 16-year long rule of Viktor Orban whose regime is now violently fighting for its survival.”
Allowing journalists due access to political representatives and candidates was “one of the conditions for a fair election”, Bruttin said.
Csakbereny Mayor Laszlo Velkei, who was elected as an independent candidate in 2024, did not immediately reply to questions from Reuters, nor did a government spokesperson.
Orban faces the biggest challenge yet to his grip on power although opinion polls show many voters are still undecided.
State media are under full government control and several private outlets have been closed or taken over by government-friendly owners.
(Reporting by Anita Komuves, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
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