1987. április (33-52. szám) / HU_BFL_XIV_47_2
r| -"íHWWjSARíAM (^) 9PTP.6KEJ, J|,| > nl'í?ú4^z^\ ní 24/D Líttle Rutsc/I Street, LONDON, WC.l • Tel 04-4&0 26 ■ G. Krassi 58/1987 /E/ 7th April, 1987 Letter of Charter *77 to the Czechoslovak Federal Government and Federal Assembly Conceming the anti-Hungarian incidents in Bratislava /Document No. 25/87/* We have studied the reports released by the Committee to De-fend the Rights of the Hungárián Ethnic Minarity in Czechoslovakia concerning the violent actions perpetrated during the night of Bth to 9th March against the premises and buildings belonging to cultural institutions of the Hungárián ethnic minority in Bratislava. The Committee*s reports indicate that these attacks are either an expression of nationalist hostility or an act of a terrorist ring aimad at the dissemination of unrest, fear and hatred among the citizens of Czechoslovakia. We find such actions of violence alarming alsó because they mark the culmination of various deplorable manifestations of national intolerance as, fór example, provocative graffiti and other damages to Hungárián premises, insults and humiliation meted out to citizens who speak Hungárián in public, and even the defacement of the statue of the world famous Hungárián poet Sándor Petőfi which had been smeared with dirt. We believe that the inter—relations between diverse nationalities within one state can be influenced by the citizens themselves while the spécial responsibi1ity fór peace and security lies with the constitutional authorities. We are therefore asking you to investigate these acts of terrorism with maximum effort. We further demand that you impress on the Czechoslovak, and particularly the Slovak média the need to inform the public about these violent acts and the course of their investigation in detai1. We alsó demand that, with respect to these events, the state authorities take a stand which is in accordance with the rule of law. It is our conviction that public life, the média and school education should be governed by the idea that tolerance and friendship between the citizens of all nationalities in Czechoslovakia is nőt only necessary bút desirable. Prague, 27 March 1987 Encl. A brief of 10 March 1987 released by the Committee to Defend the Rights of the Hungárián Ethnic Minority in Czechoslovakia Jan Litomisky Libuse Silhanova Charter 77 spokesperson Charter 77 spokesperson Josef Vohryzek Charter 77 spokesperson * The English text of this letter was given to us by Palach Press Ltd. /London/.
