Hungarian newspaper risks to be closed down after comments about the death of Romanian handball player Marian Cozma

The Hungarian newspaper Magyar Hirlap risks closure after one of its journalists, Zsolt Bayer, wrote an editorial about the death of Romanian handball player Marian Cozma arguing that the murderers are animals and murderers. The newspaper was accused of racist comments, AFP informs.

Hungarian PM Ferenc Gyurcsany urged all public companies and institutions to withdraw their newspaper subscriptions to force its closure. Bayer wrote that the authors of the crime, members of the Rroma community, are not human beings but animals.

The management of the newspaper takes the side of the journalist, arguing that there is nothing wrong in what the latter wrote. Hungarian police forces declared that any person offering information regarding the location of Sztojka Ivan (a second presumed murderer, who has not been retained so far in the case) will receive 3500 euro.