A pro-government columnist finds it disturbing that the left-wing media, which is quick to demand the prosecution of alleged Nazi-era criminals, is silent in the case of György Mátsik, an iconic figure of the Communist purges in the aftermath of the 1956 revolution. The right-wing commentator believes that crimes against humanity should not be distinguished frome one another on an ideological basis. READ MORE
In the wake of the murder of a young woman by a Roma man, the internet is swarming with comments urging the reintroduction of the death penalty and with racist comments. A right-wing commentator believes “the Gypsies” should find a solution. Liberal commentators condemn what they see as racist reactions to the tragedy. READ MORE
Commentators agree that the new criminal code is more punitive than the previous one, but opinions differ as to how useful the changes are. READ MORE
Remembering the victims of the Communist past, conservative intellectuals blame left-wing and liberal elites for trying to relativize the crimes of the Communist dictatorships. A liberal commentator, on the other hand, accuses the right-wing government of only symbolically distancing itself from post-Communism. READ MORE
A left-wing commentator believes that the government wants to stigmatize the Socialists by establishing in law that the Socialist Party (MSZP, the successor of the Communist MSZMP), shares responsibility for the crimes of the pre-1989 regime. A right-wing observer, however, welcomes the proposal and suggests that victims of the Communist era should be compensated. READ MORE
A bill submitted to Parliament broadening the rights of the prosecution against suspected criminal offenders has caused a major uproar in the left wing press. Even a conservative commentator describes the successive amendments to the bill as ‘hasty.’ READ MORE