Article published
in Hungarian
in the “VALOSAG”
weekly,
published in
Bucharest,
on Jan. 19, 1990
STATEMENT
regarding the events that took place in Harghita county,
beginning on December 22, 1989
Immediately after the communiqué of Dec 22, 1989, regarding the escape of the dictator was issued, a series, of chauvinist anti-Romanian events took place in several localities in the county, which resulted in loss of human lives, atrocities, and damages to buildings belonging to Militia and Securitate.
Dumitru Coman, the commander of the Securitate forces in Odorheiu Secuiesc, was killed with savage fury; after being molested, he was hanged in the center of the town and body was trampled underfoot and crushed with stones. Cheuchisan Liviu, the commander of the militia station in Oroszegy was molested in his own home and beheaded before his wife and children, and the body was burned. Danila Csaby, one of the militiamen of Sotea was beaten an killed. Ferencz Imre, a militiaman of Cristuru Secuiesc was also beaten and killed.
Buildings belonging to Securitate and Militia in Miercurea-Ciuc, Odorhei, Cristur, and militia stations in other localities were burned and damaged.
Many employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Miercurea-Ciuc were beaten, and their cars were set of fire. We point out that these people did not strike back in any way.
In Cristuru Secuiesc and Odorhei, as well as in other localities even at this time local authorities are not in control of the situation.
The organizers and authors of these crimes are still free.
The crowds gathered on Dec. 22 and 23 before the building of the county authorities were encouraged to manifest themselves by singing various iredentist songs.
An intense campaign of intimidation was sustained against Romanians, throughout the county who received anonymous telephone death threats, advice to leave the localities of the county, and other actions aimed at driving away the ethnic Romanians. The dismissal of the managers of economic units and various institutions was organized. Through threats and pressures, Rus Toader, the president of the County Court, was forced to resign and to leave the city, and then was accused of unjustified leaving of service.
A denigration campaign was set against Corneliu Grosu, the director of the Commercial Board, to determine him to resign. Several meetings were organized for the same purpose at the tractor manufacture plant. Among the targeted people there were Aurel Suma, chief engineer, Ioan Lupean, chief accountant. Such actions also continued at the county meat processing plant against manager Mircea Potor, Eugenia Petre, themanager of Odorhei textile manufacture was also threatened. Chief inspector Nicu Vrabie, of the County Education Inspectorate, was forced to leave the office building under guard.
Special groups inspected houses and apartment buildings and drew registers of Romanian families.
During the county FSN (National Salvation Front) meeting the members of Romanian nationality were tendentiously pgotographed for easier identification.
Inside the Education Inspectorate and in schools there were started campaigns of changing inspectors and directors, and the organization of courses in Hungarian was demanded for all levels of education.
Chauvinistic Hungarian elements, who were already discredited by their adhesion to the crimina repression in Timisaora, were introduced in the County FSN. One example is Benco Sandor, the president of this Front.
These elements have taken part in the damaging of the State Administration and the Ministery of Internal Affairs buildings directly and by instigation, thus discrediting themselves. They are Benco Sandor and Santo Pall. The Romanian nationals designated to the Front are ineffectual and are far from being representative.
Besides, the respective lists were dawn up down up by some lawyers and other Magyar elements, who did not consult anybody before.
The council of Miercurea Ciuc use pressure and intimidation in their activity. They addressed ultimative notes to the county president of the FSN, insisting on the exclusion of undesirable members, and the driving away from the town of so-called discredited persona, who are all Romanians. The establishment of the county FSN took place under similar pressures. Neither its president nor its secretary, nor any of the vice-presidents are Romanians.
At the same time the Municipal Council of Miercurea Ciuc organized the collection of signatures on a memorandum demanding the dismissal of some Romanian members of the County FSN.
In Odorhei, Cristur and other localities the road indicators written in Romanian are being demolished and replaced with Magyar ones. The indicators of schools and institutions were changed in same manner. In Odorhei the patriotic guards wear red-white-green arm gadges, and in Cristur white ones.
Therefore we consider that a well-organized action for elimination of the Romanian element from this area is taking place, and that by this elimination a Magyar nucleus is being formed.
The autonomy of the county is demanded more insistently, as well as the exclusive use of Hungarian in administration, among authorities, and the proportional representation of ethnic Hungarians in the authorities. Therefore, more and more intellectuals and people reach the decision of leaving the county. We insistently request the FSN Council to consider this particularly dangerous situation and to take the appropiate measures.
We also point out that during the FSN meeting of Dec. 30, 1989 at which Mr. Kiralz Karol assisted, he delivered his speech onlz in Hungarian, although there were Romanians who did not understand Hungarian present.