“To our followers: The Népszabadság newsroom learned at the same time as the public that the paper was suspended with immediate effect. Our first thought is that it is a coup. We will get back to you soon.” With that short status update on the Facebook page of its web edition (nol.hu), Hungary’s biggest opposition […]

Hungarian journalist Attila Varga was waiting on a sidewalk one day when a car suddenly pulled up beside him. It did not contain a friend. “A person leaned out and shouted, ‘How dare you ban me, you motherfucker!’,” Varga recounted in a recent interview with the International Press Institute (IPI). Varga is one of three journalists […]

The International Press Institute (IPI) today expressed concern over the suspension of Népszabadság, Hungary’s biggest opposition daily, on Saturday. The closure came shortly after the newspaper’s owner, Mediaworks, said it was seeking to reorganise its portfolio of publications in Hungary. In a statement, Mediaworks said that it was suspending the paper’s print and online editions […]

The International Press Institute (IPI) today joined international observers in criticising proposed anti-terrorism measures in Hungary that could give the government sweeping powers to control Internet and other media content, and restrict movement. As Amnesty International observed in a report released on Monday, proposed legislation leaked to the media in January and expected to be […]