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GULYÁS LAMBASTS 'WITCH HUNT' AGAINST HUNGARY EPIDEMIC RESPONSE LAW

 

Gergely Gulyás, the head of the Prime Minister’s Office, lambasted what he called a “witch hunt” against Hungary over the government’s epidemic response law. Asked to comment on concerns raised over the law, Gulyás told a government press briefing that though the government had “got used to this over the past several years”, it still considered the current situation “infinitely unethical and incorrect”. Gulyás said the whole of Europe and the EU itself “should be concentrating on defending against the epidemic instead of focusing on certain member states”.
In response to another question, Gulyás called on the municipal council to respond to the situation around Budapest’s public transport system as quickly as possible, arguing that large crowds on vehicles could be life-threatening during the epidemic. Asked about new regulations regarding fake news, he said the government remained firmly committed to press freedom and that recent changes to the penal code did not apply to criticisms of the government.
Asked about the possible introduction of home confinement measures, Gulyás said no such plans were in place, as the current measures appear to be sufficient for slowing down the spread of the virus.