More criticism of Orban, as striking journalists sacked

The Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orban, is pushing the country back towards its communist past, one senior MEP has said.

In a new year message to Orban, former Belgian prime minister, and leader of the Liberals in the European Parliament, Guy Verhofstadt, has said that, in a year and a half in power, the prime minister has “done little to make Hungary more modern and democratic.”

“Cutting back on media freedoms, independence of [the] Constitutional court and Central Bank, freedom of religion and sexual orientation drives you closer to [the] communist past,” wrote Verhofstadt in his message.

His words come as two journalists who are currently on hunger strike, have been sacked from the state broadcaster.

The two individuals, Balazs Nagy Navarro and Aranka Szavuly, have been protesting since 10 December over government interference in the media. Responding to the sacking, which he called “illegal”, Nagy Navarro said he will continue with his hunger strike. “I feel sorry for what is happening here in the public media, and for the people who work here who are being manipulated and used to build a brutal dictatorship with the help of the management of public media,” he said.

The centre-right government of Viktor Orban’s Fidesz Party has come in for international and domestic criticism of late. European Commission president, Jose Manuel Barroso has written to the prime minister, urging a rethink on proposed changes on how the country’s central bank should be governed, while US secretary of State Hilary Clinton, has also condemned Orban’s reforms.

Last week, the Hungarian constitutional court has said that proposed laws on the media and judiciary should be changed, as should government plans to limit the number of religions that are allowed to operate in the country.

Adding to the pressure, Verhofstatdt wrote that “Hungary should follow decisions of its constitutional court last week that has demanded changes to the laws on media and the judiciary, and blocked government plans to slash the number of religions that are allowed to operate in Hungary. Orban should reconsider changes that could reduce the independence of Hungary’s central bank and thereby contravene EU law.”

“2012 is decisive for Hungary. Orban must face his critics and the people. Reaffirm pluralistic democracy or be on the wrong side of history.”