The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has called on the Irish Government to push for an end to what it calls an “attack on civil liberties” in Hungary.
NUJ vice president Barry McCall presented a letter to the Hungarian Embassy last Friday expressing concern at the clampdown on media freedom in the eastern European country.
Speaking before the embassy visit, McCall said: “There has been an unacceptable silence on the shameful actions of the Hungarian government in attacking the right to free association, the right to organise and the right to freedom of expression.”
McCall accused the Orban government of installing “its own apparatchiks” at national broadcaster MTV and “firing those who stood up to state censorship”.
He continued: “The freedoms which are supported to be at the heart of the European Union have been trampled upon and continue to be undermined in Hungary.
“Ireland, through the Minister for Foreign Affairs, must show leadership on this issue. We still retain our influence and our moral authority to speak on issues of fundamental importance to all the citizens of Europe.”
In a letter presented to the Hungary’s Ambassador to Ireland Tamás Magyarics, the NUJ stated its strong support for journalists in Hungary, and called upon the Hungarian government to “respect the need for media pluralism”.
It added: “The protests on 2 January against the new constitution and repeated public opinion surveys show that the government cannot claim to have Hungarian public opinion behind its attack on media independence.”
Barry McCall was accompanied by officers of the Irish Executive Council of the NUJ led by cathaoirleach Gerry Curran, Irish secretary Séamus Dooley and International Federation of Journalists delegate Ronan Brady.
