According to the Kúria, the organisations condemned by the NVB had excercised their right to free expression in their campaign.Continue reading
The Kúria, Hungary’s supreme court, upheld the final judgment of the Metropolitan Court of Appeal, which found that by publishing the caricature entitled Krónikus (‘Chronic‘) in the April 28, 2020 issue of the daily news publication Népszava, the publisher of the newspaper violated the plaintiff’s right to protection of human dignity asserted in connection with his membership of a Christian religious community, and therefore ordered the defendant to pay public compensation and HUF 400,000 (EUR 970) in damages.
This is an unprecedented ruling since the Kúria has never issued a decision that declares the protection of the Christian community, Imre Vejkey, KDNP MP, told Magyar Hírlap. The politician emphasized that this is a unique ruling also at the European level.
Over the course of the trial, he said that it was essential to stand up for the Christian community despite the rejection of his claim in the first instance. He recalled that the Metropolitan Court had rejected his claim, ignoring the 30,000 signatures that had been collected. The judge said the caricature of Jesus Christ was a good “joke” and that Christians should take note of it, he noted. His appeal was backed by the historic churches, who said that this was “not a joke, as the judge said, this caricature is a serious insult to the Christian community.”
After Monday’s hearing, the verdict was delivered on Wednesday, upholding the final decision of the Metropolitan Court of Appeal, which ruled that the newspaper had offended members of the Christian religious community. Imre Vejkey offered the HUF 400,000 damages to the Christian community.
Source: Magyar Hírlap
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