Claims of media censorship at Reynders honours ceremony

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) yesterday denounced the “media censorship” it claims took place at the ceremony at which Belgian deputy prime minister Didier Reynders received the Legion of Honour from former French president Nicolas Sarkozy. Sarkozy was last week placed under investigation for “abuse of weakness” in a long-running case in which the financing of his 2007 election campaign comes under fire. “It is unacceptable that journalists are unwelcome at the ceremony of the presentation of an award to a head of government,” said Philippe Leruth, EFJ vice-president, in a statement. “It is censorship pure and simple, and constitutes a grave obstacle to the work of journalists. Belgian journalists were invited, but at the express request of Mr Sarkozy, French journalists weren’t allowed, and invitation cards mentioned that there no questions were to be asked [to Sarkozy]. The instruction was repeated several times in situ. Surprisingly, the Belgian authorities agreed to this request, which is tantamount to imposing a censorship measure which not only concerns the French press but all European press at the same time: the obvious purpose was to deter journalists of whatever nationality from interviewing the former president about a court case which is embarrassing for him.” In a statement, the EFJ denounced a “professional restriction, incompatible with the right to information enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, repeated by the European Court of Human Rights, and with the freedom of the press proclaimed by the Belgian Constitution since 1831, all of which confer to journalists the duty to inform the public.”