News sites not liable for 'insulting and rude' reader comments, says ECHR

Hungarian website argued that holding it liable for messages on its forum - which it removed - would have serious repercussions for freedom of expression

News websites are not responsible for "insulting and rude" comments by readers, the European Court of Human Rights ruled on Tuesday, after a Hungarian website was sued for messages on its forum.

The case related to the Index.hu news website on which readers posted a series of angry comments about a real-estate company.