Promoting Mutual Bilingualism for Both Hungarians and Romanians in Transylvanian Town
The Sfintu Gheorghe/Sepsiszentgyörgy municipality is again organizing a Romanian-Hungarian language learning program. Any resident over the age of 18 who wants to learn Romanian or Hungarian can apply for the course by February 22. The language-learning program is run by the Sepsiszentgyörgy branch of the Babeș-Bolyai University on behalf of the city. While there is […]
Romanian Religious Property Restitution and the International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit
The Hungarian Human Rights Foundation, represented by HHRF Fellow and volunteer at the Summit, Imola Vass, actively participated in the International Religious Freedom Summit held in Washington, D.C. January 29-31, 2024, in order to raise awareness about the most egregious religious rights violation affecting Hungarians: Romania’s failure to restitute thousands of properties confiscated from religious denominations under communism. This outstanding event provided […]
Romanian Supreme Court Decision Obstructs Justice for Religious Property Restitution
OPEN FULL DOCUMENT IN PDF The Romanian Supreme Court Decision 21/2023 of November 13, 2023 has dealt the rule of law a significant blow and further dimmed prospects for religious denominations to get back properties illegally confiscated from them under communism. The ruling (in the case of the Hungarian Reformed Church Transylvanian Diocese on behalf […]
Workshop on Ethnic and Religious Minority Rights in Central Europe
In December, HHRF Fellow Imola Vass presented on the “The Forgotten Religious Injustice in Romania: 33 Years of Failed Property Restitution” with a special focus on Romania’s ethnic- based religious restitution practices at the workshop entitled “Ethnic and Religious Minority Rights in Central Europe: Political Bargain Chip or Genuine Human Rights Concerns?” The workshop, organized by Freedom and Identity […]
Hungarian Minority Leaders from Romania Meet with Decision-makers in Washington DC
Leaders representing the largest national minority in Romania, the 1.2 million-strong ethnic Hungarian community, visited Washington D.C. from November 27 to December 2 at the invitation of the New York-based Hungarian Human Rights Foundation. During their first post-COVID visit, Hunor Kelemen, President of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ) and Loránt Vincze, Member […]
Leaders of the Hungarian Minority in Romania to visit Washington D.C.
DOWNLOAD THE PRESS RELEASE IN PDF Leaders representing the largest national minority in Romania, the 1.2 million-strong ethnic Hungarian community, will visit Washington D.C. from November 27 to December 1 at the invitation of the Hungarian Human Rights Foundation. Hunor Kelemen, President of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ), former Deputy Prime Minister […]
HHRF presents latest on Romania’s failed religious property restitution at Washington DC conference
HHRF participated in a conference on „Preserving Identity in the Face of Oppression: Religious Freedom and National Identity in Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia,” organized by Freedom and Identity in Central Europe (FICE) and the Religious Freedom Institute (RFI) on February 2, at the Meridian Center in Washington D.C. Executive Director, Emese Latkoczy, presented an overview of Romania’s dismal 33-year […]
Minority SafePack: the Citizens’ Committee is set to appeal the General Court’s decision
UPDATED: After a thorough analysis of the decision of the General Court of the European Union from 9 November 2022 in the case of the Minority SafePack Initiative vs the European Commission, the MSPI’s Citizens’ Committee and the FUEN Presidium took the decision to bring an appeal before the Court of Justice against the decision of […]
Romania Disapproves of the Ukrainian Minority Law’s Shortcomings
On Wednesday, January 4, President Klaus Iohannis spoke with Volodymyr Zelensky, expressing deep concern over the national minority law in Ukraine, which has caused worry and dissatisfaction among the Romanian authorities, and representatives of the Romanian community in Ukraine. The Romanian presidential office’s communiqué announced that Iohannis „spoke at length” about the issues surrounding the national minority law and asked the Ukrainian leader to „quickly find […]
Significant Advance for Linguistic Rights in Romania
Minority-related Public Art and Monuments Will Have Bilingual Inscriptions Henceforth, all commemorative plaques, public art, and installations or monuments connected to the Hungarian community in Romania must have an inscription in Hungarian as well as Romanian. Initiated by the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ), on 14 November 2022, President Iohannis announced the amendment […]