Hungarians from SVK arbitrarily bereaved of their citizenship

COMMUNIQUÉ OF SOLIDARITY

to support our compatriots in Upper-Hungary (Slovakia) arbitrarily bereaved of their citizenship

Driven by our firm religious belief and consciousness, we now raise our voice against the Slovakian government’s policy designed to sanction double – Slovakian-Hungarian – citizenship. We hereby assume solidarity with our fellow-Hungarian people in Slovakia, who were peremptorily deprived of their Slovakian citizenship.

We turn to the national and international media and we resolutely express our intention to protect and support the fundamental human rights and dignity of the indigenous Hungarian community in Slovakia, who form 10% of the population. Furthermore, we repudiate this revolting instance of discrimination which infringes the community rights of minorities, and is in emphatic disagreement not only with the universally accepted European set of values, but the basic principles outlined in the Visegrád Cooperation.

We request the Slovakian government incumbent and the parties who now are preparing for the democratic elections to validate those constitutional ordinances of their own country which state that no human being can be deprived of their citizenship without their consent.

At the same time, we, citizens of the united Europe and its member states, as well as, representatives of the Hungarian national community in the Carpathian Basin, express our honest acknowledgement and committed solidarity with the Hungarians who in Slovakia who, by consciously requesting and accepting the Hungarian citizenship, assume and are proud of their national roots, as well as, their national identity. They, in the spirit of Christian morality and civic bravery, in spite of being threatened by the Slovakian authorities, stand by their constitutional rights.

Slovakia’s tax-paying and law-abiding ethnic-Hungarian citizens should be rightfully entitled to choose their identity without restrictions and have the right to use their mother tongue. All in all it adds up to the conclusion that they should be completely equal in terms of the constitutional law with their Slovakian fellowmen. This is such a European fundamental right that cannot be taken away from any individual.

Taking all these into consideration we turn with a request to all members of our Hungarian community dwelling in the Carpathian Basin: with their signature they would join our present petition designed to support and protect the Hungarian community in Slovakia facing discrimination and disenfranchisement.

In our joint communiqué addressed to the Slovakian government and political elite, as well as, public opinion we demand that all those individuals should be restored their Slovakian citizenship, without delay, who were arbitrarily deprived of this. With our signatures and joining of forces we request the support and assistance of the nations’ Europe, i.e. the United Europe pertaining to this matter.

Oradea / Nagyvárad / Grosswardein

4 March 2012

Erdélyi Magyar Nemzeti Tanács    Contact the author of the petition