Belgian Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden (CD&V) on Thursday denied censorship accusations from Sudinfo following a complaint against the media outlet.
Sudinfo reported on Wednesday that it is facing legal action from the minister and a State official. The complaint targets five online articles about Qatargate and seeks to prevent similar publications in the future. But Sudinfo claims the minister aims to impose “eternal censorship”, opposing press freedom and the Constitution’s prohibition of censorship.
“These are very serious and unfounded accusations that cannot go unanswered,” Minister Verlinden responded on Thursday. She clarified that the case involves an individual civil lawsuit by a police officer whose name and photo were repeatedly published by Sudinfo, infringing on his privacy. Verlinden explained that her name appears in the lawsuit documents because she is the responsible minister and the representative of the Belgian State.
“Concluding from this that I am personally violating press freedom as a minister is not only completely false but also a harmful and sensationalist interpretation,” Verlinden stated.
She said that such “biased information” increases distrust in politics and emphasised the need for critical scrutiny of the press’s role. She stressed that everyone has the right to legal action if they feel their rights are violated.
“I urge Sudinfo to report information calmly and respect individual rights. Fundamental rights should not be exploited for sensationalism. The media should expose injustices, not cause them by taking things out of context,” Verlinden concluded.
