Humo: Freedom of speech!

Still looking for the picture? Click Here !

Freedom of speech is a big thing to me and therefor this post. This has nothing to do with Obama, but hereby I do congratulate personally my fellow-flickr! :-)

Yesterday the Court in Belgium ordered to take out all copies from the market of HUMO, a highly acclaimed magazine with a big satirical background. Now, bad taste or not, this is again a "flagrant infringement on press freedom and freedom of expression, and also to the right of humor and satire." To get the "joke" you really have to be in Belgian Politics, but let's just say in a nutshell this is a reaction on "How good-looking girls got high post "jobs".

Here's the full original text, translated with Google Translate that Humo placed on their website:

"On the orders of the Court, we must all take measures to ensure that Humo of November 4, 2008 is of the market, in all outlets, and this on pain of a penalty payment of 250 euros per copy offered for sale yet. The court held that a photomontage in 'The Hole in the World, "a clearly demarcated satirical column Humo, wrote about the presentation. However, the attentive reader inevitably find that it is an installation in a satirical context is. The proceeding unilaterally petition let us not able to speak at a progressively debate. We have the decision of the court of first instance even through the press should know. Meanwhile, the ruling means and we are obliged Humo at least provisionally to retrieve from the shelves. We consider the third opposition to appeal against the decision. We believe that the ruling and the procedure followed in total mismatch with the intended outcome and the damage Humo and Sanoma Magazines Belgium this encounter. Moreover, we consider this state of affairs as a flagrant infringement on press freedom and freedom of expression, and also to the right of humor and satire.
Nevertheless, we are now calling for the press sellers to immediately Humo all copies of this edition from the shelves to retrieve and no longer to sell."

And just when you thought Belgium was such an example of an "enlightened" state. Personally I wander how HUMO is going to react since it seemed to be a very interesting copy, this week.