1987. április (33-52. szám) / HU_BFL_XIV_47_2
I Mi 24/D Littl* Ruksetl Street, LONDON, WCÍ ■ Ttl OI-^O u 26 ■ G. Krossi 35/19B1/W 5th April, 1987 Notice on passport affairs Mr Ferenc Kőszeg - a well known .figure of the Hungárián democratic opposition - published the following notice in the latest (No. 19) issue of the samizdat journal "Beszelő"; The Police Headquarters of Budapest withdrew my passport and debarred me of travelling abroad fór the next five years. The motives fór this step were given by using the formula "displayed a behaviour unworthy of a Citizen of the Hungárián People's Republic", without any further explanation. My appeal against this decision of the Passport Office of the Ministry of Interior (see No. H/1986 issue of the samizdat journal "Demokrata") was refused by using the official form with the heading "Réfusal of the appeal of the resident at the address...". Mr Tibor Pakh's passport was alsó withdrawn on similar "grounds". Paragraph 1 of the statutory rule No. 20/1978 States: "Every Hungárián Citizen has the right to travel abroad". The Ministry of Interior restricts the citizens' rights to travel on the grounds of its own regulations in an arbitrary way - because it cannot be revised by court. 1. The Ministry of Interior evades the statutory provisions ordaining to give grounds fór the administrative decisions. The usual reason fór the refusal of applications fór passport (the applicant's leaving fór a journey violates public interests or the public order) cannot ue considered as sufficient grounds, because it doesn't contain the definition of public interests violated by the applicant's journeying, neither the scale of harm done to them in this way, nor the evidence, which the decision is based upon. (This kind of reasoning is the same, as if a court gave the grounds fór condemning a murderer as "deliberate homicide is punishable".) 2. Applications fór passport are frequehtly rejected on the grounds that the applicant during a former journey remained abroad fór a while after his travel permit expired, or that he alsó visited other countries than the ones which he claimed to vlsit. As the passport is valid fór five years and a passport valid fór the Western countries is usually alsó valid fór all countries of the world, the Ministry of Interior tresspasses the law, when it deprives citizens,violating the Ministry's house regulations, of their legitimate right to travel. 3. Many people have their applications fór a passport to visit a friend or relative refused, because the Ministry of Interior believes their financial resources to be insufficient fór a journey. One, who applies fór this kind of passport, abandons his claim to buy foreign currencies from the state monetary funds. The way of supporting himself during his stay abroad - if no evidence is produced fór any criminal activity of him - is a priváté matter, thus the refusal of his passport apolication is an unlawful interference in the priváté sphere of life. 4. Somé applicants have their claims fór a passport refused, because one of their relatives failed to return home from abroad, or more simply: defected. _ . k * ’ ‘ f ‘ ’ ' ’
