OSCE media freedom representative welcomes acquittal of Hungarian journalist in secrecy case, urges legislative reforms

BUDAPEST, 1 October 2008 - Miklos Haraszti, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, welcomed today's acquittal of Hungarian journalist Antonia Radi, and called on the country's authorities to carry out long-awaited legislative reforms on disclosing official secrets.

"I welcome the acquittal, which puts an end to the five-year-long trial of Antonia Radi, a distinguished Hungarian investigative reporter," said Haraszti.

Radi was indicted on breach of secrecy charges, based on her reporting on a criminal case in the HVG weekly in 2003. Her final acquittal was because the information published by her was not classified.

"While it is good news that one of the country's best journalists and her editors are off the hook, it is worrying that a journalist in Hungary can only be acquitted if the published information turns out to be unclassified," said Haraszti.

"In the reform of the law on official secrets and of the Penal Code, the legislation should make clear that breach of secrecy is a crime that can be committed by officials who were obliged to guard those secrets, and only in case the information was of no legitimate public interest."

The debate on the reform of the law on classified data and the related punitive chapters of the Penal Code began in the Hungarian Parliament on Monday.

Haraszti called the punishing of civilians for airing governmental information "a remnant of Communist-era regulations", and said that for the sake of the fight against corruption, and the free flow of information, it was time to assure journalists that they can report on matters of public importance without fear of being prosecuted.

"Mandatory scrutiny in court of the public-interest value of each publication of classified data should figure in the law," Haraszti added.

The OSCE Representative said he hoped Hungary's international commitments on the public's right to receive information will make the authorities remove liability from civilians, among them journalists, for disclosing official information, except when they commit a crime to obtain it.