Independent Hungarian radio station has to stop operating

The opposition Hungarian club radio is no longer allowed to broadcast. A court upheld the decision of a media supervisory board made up exclusively of confidants of Viktor Orbán. The government had already decided, and the move has now been confirmed by a court in Budapest: Klubradio, Hungary's last significant independent radio station, will have to cease broadcasting next Monday. Hungary's state media council made up exclusively of partisans of the right-wing national prime minister Viktor Orbán - had previously refused to extend the operating license to Klubradio and re-tendered the right to use the transmission frequency. The broadcaster had sued against this unsuccessfully. The decision of the authority was legal, it said by the Budapest city court.

The media council justified its decision by saying that the broadcaster had repeatedly violated the rules. For example, Klubradio submitted official documents with delay twice within a year.

Club radio reaches up to 500,000 listeners via the FM broadcasting frequency 92.9 MHz. Since Orbán came to power in 2010, it has only been allowed to broadcast in the greater Budapest area. Since then, the powerful head of government has placed large parts of the Hungarian media landscape under his control. On the list of press freedom of Reporters Without Borders, the EU country ranks 89th out of 180 places. Before Orbán took office in 2010, Hungary was 23rd on this list.

The judgment is not yet final, but an appeal by the broadcaster has no suspensive effect. Next Sunday at 11:59 p.m., the club radio will fall silent in the ether. According to the plans, its designers want to continue operating it as an Internet radio. Club radio boss Andras Arato described the court decision as shameful and cowardly. The decision will be taken before the Supreme Court.

Reporters Without Borders spoke of a blow to the freedom of the press in Hungary. The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatovic, announced on Twitter after the verdict. Another voice that is being silenced in Hungary. Another sad day for media freedom.