Klubrádió, who often featured Hungarian opposition voices, appealed to the court after his license was revoked last year by the country’s Media Council for allegedly violating advertising rules, among other things.
The members of the Media Council are elected by the Hungarian National Assembly, in which Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s Fidesz party has a majority.
In response to Judge Regina Antal’s decision on Tuesday, the Media Council said in an online statement: “The verdict stated that since Klubrádió did not appeal for his repeated violations, which caused the legal exclusion, they became definitive , so there was no choice but to refuse to renew them. “
Mihaly Hardy, Klubrádió’s News Director said: “There is a huge advertising balloon built by the government and Klubrádió was a small hole, a small piece of truth where air could escape, so they had to close this small hole in the balloon and so they can build their own advertising world that doesn’t reflect the realities of Hungary. ”
Klubrádió’s license expires on February 14. You can still broadcast over the internet. The broadcaster can request an appeal against the decision in a counter appeal, said judge Regina Antal.
Dunja Mitajovic, Human Rights Commissioner of the Council of Europe, tweeted that the decision means “another voice silenced in Hungary” and “another sad day for #MediaFreedom”.
The International Press Institute also condemned the decision. Director Scott Griffen said the verdict “will force Hungary’s last major independent radio station to go offline. It is devastating for what remains of media pluralism in Hungary and will have far-reaching implications inside and outside the country’s borders.
“Make no mistake, this is the result of a decade-long deliberate effort by political forces in Hungary to eradicate Klubrádió from radio waves. The court has only dealt the final blow,” he said.
“In recent years, the Fidesz-controlled Media Council and the government have blocked, one by one, all remaining avenues for Klubrádió to remain on the air when his renewal was rejected due to political motives. The result was that when the time came for Klubrádió’s license to be renewed, his fate was almost sealed. “