Hungary summons Nordic ambassadors for criticizing decrees

Hungary has brought together ambassadors from the Nordic countries for its criticism of the country's coronavirus law, which gives Prime Minister Viktor Orban radical powers in the midst of a pandemic.

The announcement was made on Sunday by the country's foreign minister, Peter Szijjarto, who said that Hungary "does not want a pitiful hypocritical guardianship" of Denmark, Norway, Sweden , Finland and Iceland.

In a Facebook post published on May 10, Szijjarto referred to a letter sent by the five Nordic countries on March 6 to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejcinovic Buric, where they expressed concern about the Hungarian Coronavirus Law. .

The Hungarian foreign minister accused the countries of spreading false news, adding that "their lies have been revealed".

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The controversial "coronavirus protection bill" in Hungary has sparked heated debate, and MEPs have expressed concern over the country's rule of law, press freedom and indefinite mandate ; Orban.

The relatively recently introduced law extends Hungary's state of emergency until the end of 2020, bans all local and national referendums and provides for heavy fines and even prison terms for those who publish news related to Covid-19 that the government considers false or distorted.

However, on April 19, the European Commissioner for Securities and Transparency, Vera Jourova, said on Czech TV that "she was not yet worried" because she had met the Hungarian Minister for Justice Judit Varga, who had proposed the project. of law and discussed the measures taken by the Hungarian government.