The International Press Institute (IPI), and the IPI Austrian National Committee, today expressed concern over the treatment of an Austrian Press Association (APA) photographer by far-right politicians in the Austrian state of Carinthia.

On Thursday, as reported by Austria’s public broadcaster (ORF) and other Austrian news outlets, controversy broke out in the Carinthia state parliament as Carinthia Freedom Party (FPK, according to its German acronym) chairman Kurt Scheuch accused APA photographer Gert Eggenberger of blocking his way and “hassling” him. Scheuch claimed that Eggenberger took flash photographs of his face at a distance of 20 centimeters – which Scheuch later changed to four centimeters.

Scheuch told reporters: “The camera was set to repeated release, I was flashed three times, and I had to put my head down so the camera wouldn’t bump my head.”

However, video of the incident replayed on ORF appears to tell quite a different story. Despite Scheuch’s repeated claims that Eggenberger had “provoked” him, the footage appears to show Scheuch going out of his way to squeeze himself between Eggenberger and a mirror lining one of the walls. The video also does not appear to reveal any flash from Eggenberger’s camera.

Eggenberger himself has flatly rejected Scheuch’s version of events, and witnesses have also said that it was Scheuch who forced himself into Eggenberger’s space – not the other way around.

IPI is particularly troubled by the fact that, just prior to the confrontation, Eggenberger had been removed from the representative chamber by local parliament president Josef Lobnig. Members of the parliament were in the process of discussing potential new elections dates when Lobnig, apparently without giving a reason, ordered Eggenberger to be removed from the room

That incident mirrored one on Aug. 1 in which then-FPK Chairman Uwe Scheuch, Kurt’s brother, had Eggenberger thrown out of a press conference in which Uwe Scheuch announced his resignation.

The FPK’s treatment of Eggenberger has been sharply criticised by a spectrum of political parties and media organisations, the ORF reported. APA Editor-in-Chief Michael Lang was yesterday quoted as saying: “The ability to handle the valuable good of press freedom is a measure for the maturity of a democracy … [But] for already the second time in a few days, politicians vested with responsibility were the victims of their own erroneous belief that they can, at their discretion, shut the public out from their political work.”

Gerfried Sperl, chairman of IPI’s Austrian National Committee and former editor-in-chief of Der Standard said today: “IPI Austria expects the head of the FPÖ Heinz Christian Strache to request of the Carinthian party that it refrain, in future, from restricting press freedom – including unimpeded press photography. The incidents in Klagenfurt fit perfectly into the picture from abroad of far-right parties.”

IPI Deputy Director Anthony Mills added: “We are deeply troubled by the fact that, in a democratic country like Austria, certain local politicians appear to think that it’s acceptable to prevent journalists from working freely. We hope that the persons involved, as well, as the party they represent, make it unequivocally clear that they are committed to upholding the principles of press freedom – without which no democracy can thrive.”

Although the FPK, which operates solely in the state of Carinthia, is a distinct party, it cooperates at a national level with the Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ), currently headed by Heinz Christian Strache. The FPK holds 17 out of 36 seats in the Carinthian state parliament.