Physical attacks, often by the police, and abusive lawsuits against journalists are on the rise, data protection rules are abused to restrict freedom of information, unchallenged media ownership concentration threatens pluralism, national security used as a pretext for laws that restrict free speech: problems reported in the previous year in most EU countries remain unresolved and in some cases even worsened in 2022, according to the Liberties Media Freedom Report 2023 (Report) published today.

On September 2nd, 2021 the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights has rejected our plea representing Andrea Giuliano, a gay rights activist. The Strasbourg court has therefore missed an opportunity to improve its case law on hate crimes against vulnerable group members.

The government has submitted an amendment proposal that would exclude protests from the most important, symbolic public squares of Budapest during national holidays. Furthermore, it would empower local governments to remove further areas a no-protest zone.

The Ministry of Human Resources might withdraw funding from the National Society of Student and Youth Journalists (DUE Médiahálózat), as the magazine interviewed experts on a topic that could affect every youth: the legalization of marihuana. The fact that a well-balanced, objective and unbiased article about a relevant drugs policy issue concerning many countries could not be published is a serious symptom of the state of the democratic discourse that with state funding.

Members of the Civil Liberties Committee will discuss the fundamental rights situation in Hungary with Justice Minister László Trócsányi and civil society representatives on Monday afternoon. Read the full speech of HCLU's Executive director, Stefánia Kapronczay.

The International Press Institute (IPI) expressed disappointment over the decision of the Hungarian Parliament’s Justice Committee not to advance a bill that would have repealed criminal defamation and established safeguards against the abuse of civil defamation law.

You must be daring to quip about politicians in Hungary these days: journalists, bloggers and ordinary people have been brought to court for such deeds.

Hossam Bahgat, journalist and founder of human rights group Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, was released on Tuesday, November 10th after being detained arbitrarily for two days.

Human rights have been violated in various ways thoughout the refugee crisis, but there is good news: in the case of the billboard modifications, free speech has prevailed.

Disturbances continue near the closed border crossing point at Röszke. Refugees try to break through the fence, while others protest peacefully. The press, of course, is there to report on the events.

The Hungarian Civil Liberties Union is representing the gay dating site melegrandi.hu in proceedings before the Equal Treatment Authority. The site was going to place ads on buses managed by the Budapest Transport Company (BKV), but was denied by the company responsible for BKV's advertisements, claiming that advertising regulations prohibit ads that threaten the moral development of children and minors. HCLU says this interpretation is totally missing the point of the concerned paragraph of Hungary's advertisement law, and the denial constitutes an infringement of equal treatment rights.More:http://tasz.hu/hirek/tasz-kepviseli-melegrandihu-t

The Hungarian Civil Liberties Union has commemorated last week's tragedy in Paris in two articles.