PERSECUTED PAPER

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 2, 24 March 1927, Page 13

PERSECUTED PAPER

COURT CASES NUMBER 296 CRITICISES THE GOVERNMENT Europe’s most prosecuted (or should it be persecuted?) newspaper must be the "Nepszava,” the Budapest organ of the Hungarian Social Democratic Party, writes George Ren wick in the “Daily Chronicle.” The annual report of this party states that during last year no fewer than 170 political processes were begun against it by the legal authorities —that is to say, indictments were hurled at it at the .rate of about one every other day! In addition. 126 processes, left over from the previous year, are still before the courts, for the law in Hungary grinds slowly, though, in the end, it grinds exceedingly small —so far as the opponents of the Government are concerned. The “Xepszavu’s” legal representatives, therefore, are struggling with no fewer than 296 court cases! For the year, the final sentences against various members of the staff of the paper amounted in all to 12 yeajfs of imprisonment and to fines totalling more than 5,000. In other cases which are still in the appeal stages, sentences have been pronounced which if eventually confirmed, will mean that the responsible editor will have to go to gaol for 103 years! The “Xepszava” has two other distinctions. It is the only paper in Hungary which has not made its peace with and surrendered its independence into the safe keeping of the Government. That is the head and front of its offending. As the Government simply cannot endure criticism, and allows nothing but praise of itself and all its works, the articles in the “Xepszava” are most carefully scanned for excuses to launch yet another writ against it. Then the “Xepszava” has a whole Press law “all to itself”!