A left-wing commentator cautions the Left against following its moral sentiments and demanding harsher punishment for pedophiles. A pro-government columnist accuses the Left of hypocrisy.

Gábor Kaleta, former Ambassador to Peru appealed against his sentence of one year in prison, suspended for two and a half years, and a 1,500 EUR fine, after he was found guilty of being in possession of child pornography (see BudaPost July 4). Fidesz floor leader Máté Kocsis, in a commentary,found Kaleta’s punishment absurdly light, and added that the government will introduce stricter punishment for child pornography and create public lists of convicted pedophiles.

In Népszava, Zoltán Simon finds it unfortunate that many on the Left also criticize the judge for what they consider a far too lenient punishment for Kaleta. The left-wing columnist acknowledges that the current laws would have allowed the court to hand down a 3-year prison sentence. But as the Prosecutor asked for a one year sentence, the court could not hand down a harsher punishment. Simon thinks that respecting the rule of law and the separation of powers is more important than following our instincts and sentiments.

Magyar Hírlap’s Csilla Korompay accuses the Left of hypocrisy. The pro-government commentator claims the Left is using Kaleta’s case for its own political purposes. Those on the Left who find Kaleta’s sentence abhorrently lenient, she writes, do not mind if children participate in LGBTQ+ demonstrations or gay pride marches. Korompay concludes by suggesting that those who show moral outrage in the case of Kaleta are not in the least interested in finding out the extent to which individuals in the LGBTQ+ movement are guilty of pedophilia.