Amerikai Magyar Szó, 2004. július-december (58-102. évfolyam, 160-183. szám)
2004-09-17 / 171. szám
20 MAGYAR SZÓ-A HÍD WWW.CHACR.ORG 2004 .szeptember 17. HUNGARIAN HILL Hungarian News from Capitol Hill by the Center for Hungarian American Congressional Relations From left: Special Assistant Cindy Torok, Legislative Assistant Zsófi Somlai, Legislative Director David Nadasi, President Sándor A Nagy, National Coordinator Emilia Varga, Fundraising Director Bela S. Bukta, Legislative Assistant Nándor Forgach H Urgent Action Needed Ukrainian court takes away Hungarian college building In accordance with the agreement, the property was then rebuilt primarily with donations. The Hungarian taxpayers have spent over 60 million Hungarian Forints on the renovation of the building. Then in 2004, the City Council sought to reverse its previous decision and allowed the the Beregovo city attorney to take the city to court. The local court decided the case within two weeks, which is highly unusual in Ukraine, and voided the prior transfer of the property. Both the Sándor A. Nagy traveled to Beregszász (Beregovo), Ukraine, on July 26 to conduct a two-day fact finding mission for the U.S. Congressional Human Rights Caucus regarding the unusual circumstances surrounding the Hungarian school’s loss of property rights to its own building. The Teachers College is the only ethic Hungarian institution of higher learning in Ukraine. In 2002, the City Council of Beregovo unanimously transferred a Soviet-era arms factory (formerly a courthouse) to the Transcarpathian Hungarian Teachers College provided that certain conditions were met, including that the school restores the rundown building. The property transfer occurred during a 2002 ceremony attended by both the President of Hungary and the Prime Minister of the Ukraine. The ownership of the property was then properly registered (Register No. 32, File No. 147) in the name of the Transcarpathian Hungarian Teachers College. “If the school's ownership rights are not restored within a reasonable period of time, we will ask the U.S. Congress to help" Washington, DC, August 26, 2004: "We are concerned by the decision that voided the property rights of the Subcarpathian Hungarian Teacher Training College" - stated Sándor A. Nagy, president of CHACR after his return from a fact finding mission in Ukraine. Who We Are The Center for Hungarian American Congressional Relations empowers Hungarian Americans to voice their opinions in the US Congress. We serve as a bridge between our elected representatives and their Hungarian American constituents. We initiate, influence, and monitor legislative activities for the benefit of Hungarian Americans. The Center is an independent, nonpartisan lobby organization. We established a national network of members and volunteers to reciprocate the friendship and efforts of our allies in Congress. We aspire to foster and coordinate the participation of Hungarian Americans in governmental, political, and civic affairs. We are determined to eliminate intolerance, prejudice, and discrimination against Hungarian minorities anywhere in the World. We pledge to defend Hungarian individual and communal rights and to prevent the deterioration of Hungarian communities in countries where they represent an ethnic minority. We cultivate a spirit of mutual interest and sociability among Hungarian Americans. Please visit our website at www.chacr.org . City Council and the court decisions were made without notice to or opportunity to be heard by the Teachers College. Sándor A. Nagy visited the nearly one hundred year old building of the school, which is under construction because of the heavy wear and tear caused by the weapons factory. He met with Ildikó Orosz, the president of the college, and József Zsupán, the mayor of Beregovo to find answers to the questions surrounding the building’s ownership. Nagy met with Miklós Kovács, president of the Cultural Federation of the Transcarpathian Hungarians, (KMKSZ), and István Gajdos, who leads the Democratic Federation of the Hungarians of Ukraina (UMDSZ). CHACR’s president obtained the legal documents regarding the building, including the court decision. “If the school’s ownership rights are not restored within a reasonable period of time, we will ask the U.S. Congress to help” stated Nagy.
