The Eighth Hungarian Tribe, 1982 (9. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

1982-08-01 / 8. szám

Georgia House of Representatives opposes Most Favored Nation Status for Rumania

(Congressional Records, April 22, 1982, El 747)

The Honorable Larv McDonald of Georgia in the House of Representatives, Thursday, April 22, 1982: Mr. Speaker, I have risen on numerous occasions in this body to speak out against religious persecution in Rumania. Year after year, some of us have testified against renewal of Rumania’s Most Favored Nation status. The Georgia House of Representatives views this an important matter and passed Resolution No. 978 on March 26, 1982, calling on the United States not to renew MFN status. — I agree, and urge my colleagues to carefully consider the cases of religious persecution mentioned in this resolution. If we are so concerned about human rights, a good place to start would be to strip Rumania of her MFN status. The resolution follows.

A RESOLUTION

Urging the United States not to renew the Most Favored Nation trading status of the Socialist Republic of Rumania.

Whereas, five leading Rumanian Raptist pastors of Bucharest, Josef Sarac, Vasile Talos, Vasile Brinzei, Pascu Geabau and Buni Cocar, have been falsely accused by the Rumanian authorities of embezzling $57,285.00. These funds were spent without the knowledge of the Rumanian Ministry of Cults, hut with the full knowledge and approval of the various congregations involved;

and

Whereas, Klaus Wagner of Sighisoara, Rumania, who is a member of the Brethren Church and Maria an Fihia Delapeta of Carpinis, Rumania, who are members of the Army of the Lord (Rumanian Orthodox Church, were arrested on October 1, 1981 and tried in the Rumanian courts. They were sentenced to six years, five years and five years imprisonment, respectively, as well as levied unspecified monetary fines;

and

Whereas, Silviu Cioata and Costel Georgescu of Plocsti, Rumania, were arrested on November 11 1981, and Nicu Rotaru of Bacau, Rumania was arrested on December 11, 1981 for distributing

Bibles in the Socialist Republic of Rumania and are now awaiting trial;

and

Whereas, John Teodosiu of Cluj, Rumania was arrested and charged on December 16, 1981 for

espionage, due to his information-gathering activities for western human rights organizations relating to the arrest and persecutions of religious believers in the Socialist Republic of Rumania. These information-gathering activities were religious, not political, in nature and have resulted in John Teodosiu being held incommunicado by the Rumanian Secret Police;

and

Whereas, 13 other Christian believers in the town of Bucharest, Ploesti, Bacan and Alba are currently being subjected to daily interrogations by the Rumanian Secret Police because of their involvement in distributing Bibles;

and

Wereas, numerous reports are reaching the United States which indicate that those individuals arrested are being held and tortured with electric shock treatments and severe beatings;

and

Whereas, in August of 1975 the Rumanian government signed the Final Act of the Helsinki Accords, pledging to '‘‘‘Recognize and Respect the Freedom of the individual to profess and practice, alone or in community with others, religion or belief acting in accordance with the dictates of his own conscience

and

Whereas, in accordance with Section 402 (Jackson-Vanik Amendment) of the 1974 Trade Act, Rumania’s emigration and HUMAN RIGHTH RECORD is to be studied annually by the administration, as well as both houses of Congress to determine whether that country is eligible to receive Most Favored Nation trading status for an additional year.

Now, therefore BE IT RESOVED by the House of Representatives of the United States, that this body:

1. Urges President Reagan not to renew the Most Favored Nation trading status which the Socialist Republic of Rumania now enjoys with the United States.

2. Encourages the members of the Georgia Congressional Delegation to testify before the House Subcommittee on Trade and the Senate Subcommittee on International Trade against the renewal of Rumania’s Most Favored Nation trading status in protest of the REPRESSION OF CHRISTIAN BELIEVERS BY THE RUMANIAN GOVERNMENT.

THE TRANSYLVANIAN QUARTERLY

V