The rights group noted that the police had won several court cases against media outlets in recent years on claims their right to privacy had been harmed. This practice of blanking out faces on photographs showing police in action unless consent was given beforehand was confirmed by a supreme court Kúria decision in 2012.

The institute submitted a constitutional complaint against a court decision that found online news portal Index.hu at fault for showing police at a political demonstration without pixellating their faces. The institute argued that police are representatives of public authority and they do not have the right to claim personality protection rights against the media reporting on their actions.

The Constitutional Court ruled on Wednesday that the faces of police can be shown on images taken at public demonstrations without their preliminary consent unless this violates their dignity, for instance by showing the suffering of injured police.

Source www.hungarymatters.hu

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MTI photo: Lakatos Péter