To Ms Viola von Cramon-Taubadel,
Member of the European Parliament
Open letter to MEP Viola von Cramon-Taubadel
Dear Ms Viola von Cramon-Taubadel,
I was astonished to read your truthless statements to Clara Lipkowski, editor of t-online, regarding Transcarpathian Hungarian minority in Ukraine. I can only surmise with regret that despite your visits to the region, your impressions of the region’s current situation, and ethnic relations are very much incomplete, biased and based only on information from Ukrainian state-sponsored media.
On the other hand, it is outrageous that you are using the issue of the Transcarpathian Hungarians to further fuel the EU’s disputes with Hungary, conflating the restriction of minority rights with a dispute arising from a clash of political views. This is not only far from objectivity, but also unethical and completely wrong.
To complete your picture, I advise you to find opportunity to speak personally to representatives of the Hungarian minority – as well as the Romanian minority, who are also affected by Ukraine’s discriminatory and right restricting anti-minority policies.Indeed, I would be happy to accompany you to Transcarpathia. But unfortunately, I cannot return to my homeland ever since my name was added to the so-called “death list” or “enemy list” published in late 2020 on the Ukrainian extremist nationalist website Myrotvorets.
The article quotes you as follows: “If we look at the rights Hungarians have in the region, we can hardly find any other minority that has more rights.” I wish this were true, but unfortunately, it is simply not the case. Allow me to briefly summarize the current state of Ukraine’s national minority policies and the main factors that compromise the rights of the Hungarian minority (and other national minorities) in Transcarpathia.
Systematic legal restrictions on national minority rights
● The imposition of restrictions on minority rights in Ukraine began in 2017 when the Ukrainian Parliament adopted the new Law on Education. This law rescinded the acquired rights of ethnic minorities to be educated in their native language: instead of providing education in native languages at all levels, the new law implements bilingual education starting from the 5th grade.
● In 2019, Parliament adopted the Law of Ukraine “On Supporting the Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as the State Language”. This law expands the use of the Ukrainian language in all spheres of administrative and public life, education, culture, media, etc. As a result, minority languages are allowed to be spoken only in private communication or during religious events, with language inspectors verifying the use of Ukrainian in all other situations – an infringement of language rights unparalleled in Europe today.
● In July 2021, the Ukrainian Parliament adopted the Law on Indigenous Peoples of Ukraine. This law recognises Crimean Tatars, Karaites, and Krymchaks as autochthonous peoples, while excluding other nationalities from this category, such as Hungarians and Romanians, even though they have lived continuously in Transcarpathia for hundreds of years. The reason given is that Hungarians and Romanians have kin-states outside of Ukraine. By excluding these minorities, the law also excludes them from native-language secondary education opportunities that are available for the populations recognized as autochthonous.
● In December 2022, the Ukrainian Parliament adopted a new Law on National Minorities (Communities), which has since been amended. Unfortunately, even with these amendments, the law again failed (for the second time) to comply with the recommendations of the Venice Commission. The Law on Minorities failed to remedy the discrimination established by the Law on Education of 2017 and the Law on the State Language of 2019. Instead, it simply codified the existing situation: it provides all freedoms and rights for speakers of Ukrainian while restricting the rights of minority language speakers. The law fails to guarantee equal rights for minorities and is discriminatory.
Violence, intimidation, and illegal action against minority institutions and public figures
In addition to legislative restrictions, representatives and political leaders of the national minorities are often subjected to political persecution and threats, and are stigmatized and intimidated due to their dissenting views.
● On 4 February 2018, the headquarters of the Cultural Alliance of Hungarians in Sub-Carpathia (KMKSZ) in Uzhhorod suffered an arson attack. Two weeks later, an explosion occurred at the headquarters.
● In 2018, the Ukrainian extremist nationalist website Myrotvorets began illegally uploading the personal data of Hungarians in Transcarpathia to its database, publishing more than 500 names of Transcarpathian Hungarian officials accused of dual citizenship. Among others, the site lists Members of the European Parliament and some Hungarian and European politicians as well. That site, although condemned by several EU decision-makers and institutions, continues to operate unhindered to this day.
● On 30 November 2020, following local elections, armed commando units of the Security Service of Ukraine delivered a coordinated attack against the office of the KMKSZ, its charity foundations, and the home of its President, Mr. László Brenzovics. The unprecedentedly harsh actions against these institutions were based on fabricated accusations of “high treason” and sought to intimidate these Hungarian organizations and the Hungarian community, and to restrict the party’s political influence in the Transcarpathian County Council.
● On 13 October 2022, the Executive Committee of the Municipality of Munkács (Mukachevo) ordered the removal of the Turul statue, a Hungarian mythical symbol, from the bastion of the castle – without legal basis or public consultation – and replaced it with the Coat of Arms of Ukraine (Tryzub).
Other incidents in Mukachevo, the second biggest town in Transcarpathia, indicate ethnic intolerance:
● The headmaster of the local Hungarian-language secondary school was fired twice without cause and replaced by an ethnic Ukrainian without experience in this field.
● The head of a nearby cultural institution in the town of Dertsen was also fired without cause. This treatment is not only legally unacceptable but also violates the right of these public servants to human dignity.
● Hungarian flags and inscriptions were removed from schools and other institutions, even though the use of such symbols and signs are not prohiibited by laws.
The above examples are only a few in a larger, distressing pattern of anti-Hungarian actions, intimidation, and attempts to destroy minority symbols and ban their use.
The Hungarian minority is indigenous to Transcarpathia; they have lived in the region for more than a thousand years. Although the borders have been redrawn repeatedly over the centuries, the community has endured to the present day. They would like nothing more than to live in peace in their home region, enjoying equal rights guaranteed to them by the Constitution of Ukraine and the international conventions to which the country is a party. Unfortunately, Ukraine is at war, and national minorities are also suffering due to it. They continue to hope that Ukraine will soon be a peaceful country that respects and protects its minorities and does not restrict minority language use and education.
Dear Colleague!
I have called the attention of the European Parliament to these problems several times in my plenary speeches since 2017, so your statements that everything is perfect with the rights of Transcarpathian Hungarians are pure speculations and politically motivated.
Ukraine has started to take serious steps to address the situation of minorities, but this does not mean that the problems have been solved. Your willingness to sweep them under the carpet does not help the cause. Ukraine should become part of the European family, and the sooner it meets the Copenhagen criteria, the sooner it will be there. Although not a compulsory reading, I recommend you to take a closer look at the relevant recommendations of the Venice Commission.
I do wish that real European reforms would be implemented in Ukraine and all its citizens could have equal rights and opportunities.
I would be happy to answer any questions you may have on this issue.
Thank you.
Best regards,
Andrea Bocskor MEP