This petition was submitted during the 2017-2019 parliament
Rejected petition Restart the BBC Hungarian Service
Media freedom in Hungary has been severely curtailed since the Orbán government came to power in 2010. There is no longer any significant opposition or independent newspaper or radio station in the country and online sources are vanishing fast. The consequences for democratic order are disastrous .
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The BBC Hungarian Service was disbanded on 2006 on the basis that the mandate to support fledgeling democracy in Central/Eastern Europe had expired. That judgement now appears premature. The OSCE observation team reported the April 2018 elections as characterised by 'intimidating and xenophobic rhetoric, media bias and opaque campaign financing constricted the space for genuine political debate'. Hungary now ranks bottom for democratisation on the Central Europe 'nations in transit' index.
This petition was rejected
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