The Eighth Tribe, 1980 (7. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1980-07-01 / 7. szám
and lives—now—in fear. The “guaranteed right” of the Constitution did not work. Lajos Takacs is a professor of International law in Kolozsvár (Cluj) in Romania, documented in his famous memorandum the methods of the Romanian Government to destroy the cultural life of the 2.5 million Hungarians in Romania. This memorandum was published in April 1978 in London in THE TIMES, THE GUARDIAN and in the FINANCIAL TIMES. Zoltán Zsuffa is a High School teacher in Kovaszna, Romania, a Hungarian, who in July 1977 submitted his brave memorandum to the Communist Party Secretary of Sepsiszentgyorgy, in which he described his suffering and tortures by the members of the State Internal Security Office, without any formal charge. The real cause of this torturing and suffering was that he is a Hungarian intellectual who wants to keep his nationality. In May 1978, 62 Hungarian Intellectuals in Romania appealed to the Romanian intellectuals requesting understanding and asking help against the cultural genocide practiced by the government against the Hungarians. Mr. Ferenc Kunszabo, a Hungarian writer, member of the Communist Party, who lives in Hungary, wrote a study about the cultural life of the Hungarians in Romania. Since he was unable to publish it in Hungary, he courageously sent it out of Hungary and it was published in West Germany, in various parts of the United States, in Hungarian language. This article is based on the writer’s experience in Transylvania and in this long essay lie describes the suicide of a Hungarian professor in Romania, Jeno Szikszay, who was tortured by the Romanian Secret Police because of his “ultra Hungarian nationalism,” and, of course, he was accused of being against the socialist system. He refused to sign the minutes and he—unfortunately—did not see any other solution but take his own life. Ferenc Kunszabo dramatically described the fact: the government of Romania systematically tries to destroy the cultural life of the Hungarians in Romania. I think it is a generally accepted fact that Behind the Iron Curtain or in the USSR anybody who speaks for the Human Rights, tells not only the truth but courageously risks his own life. This was the case with Solzhenitsyn or presently with Sakharov and with many other brave apostles of the Human Rights as with the signatories of the “Charter 77” in Czechoslovakia. If the above statement is true, the question is: why the Department of State does not apply this rule to he statements of Mr. Király, Mr. Takacs, Mr. Zsuffa, Mr. Kunszabo? I am inclined to think that the Department of State in the said report knowingly omitted the truth in favor of the Ceausescu Government in the hope that the leader of the government of Romania will play some independent role Behind the Iron Curtain which could be favorable to Washington and would irritate the Kremlin. I don’t deny that Mr. Ceausescu skillfully plays between Washington and the Kremlin, but I don’t think this playing gives Washington a significant advantage nor changes the Kremlin action either. Mr. Chairman, one of the purposes of the report should be: to warn the government of Romania to follow the provisions of the Human Rights and its own Constitution, in short: to discourage the government of Romania to continue its oppressing minority policy. Unfortunately the said part of the Report is just the opposite: it encourages the government of Romania to continue its oppressing policy. This damages not only the 2.5 million Hungarians in Romania but the foreign policy of the United States as well. I respectfully request, Mr. Chairman, to arrange a correction be made of the quoted part of the Report and to investigate the reason why the Department of State misled your Committee and omitted the reality from the Report. Sincerely yours, WORLD FEDERATION OF FREE HUNGARIAN JURISTS László Varga, J.D. President Attorney at Law Mr. Kiraly’s letter and Mr. Ferenc Kunszabo’s article can he found in the book “Transylvania and the Hungarian-Rumanian Problem” published by the Danubian Press, Rt. 1, Box 59, Astor, Florida 32002 — S18.00. THE TRANSYLVANIAN QUARTERLY V
