Committee to Protect Journalists: Hungarian authorities must immediately investigate the forcible removal of Telex journalists

Hungarian authorities must immediately investigate the forcible removal of Telex reporters and ensure that journalists can cover election-related events without intimidation or violence, the international journalists’ organization, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) stated in a Monday press release.

The US-based, independent, non-profit organization reported that on March 10, the mayor of Csákberény, László Vécsei, used physical force to push two of our colleagues, Nóra Siteri and Judit Presinszky, out of a press conference and election event attended by Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén. We have filed a complaint in the matter. The footage may be viewed in the video below:

According to Attila Mong, CPJ’s European representative, the “violent removal of Telex journalists from a public campaign event marks a new low and raises serious concerns regarding the state of press freedom in Hungary.”

In his view, “The 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.” CPJ further writes that they have sent questions regarding the matter to mayor Vécsei, Deputy PM Semjén, the Civil Guard, and the press office of the police, but have not received a response.