Statement by the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the revocation of the Star of Romania state decoration László Tőkés

The Hungarian Foreign Ministry was shocked to learn of the verdict reached by the Ethics Committee of the Order of the “Star of Romania” on November 20, 2013 in which they found László Tőkés to be unsuited for holding on to the award.

We acknowledge Romania’s sovereign right to decide who to award state decorations to, as well as its right to decide who to revoke it from. The revocation of the Star of Romania from László Tőkés nonetheless raises concerns. The hero of the Romanian revolution, respected European politician, and iconic figure of Transylvania’s Hungarian community is being stripped of his decoration based on a deliberate misinterpretation of his political opinions.

25 years ago László Tőkés fought for democracy and freedom, not only for the Hungarian community, but for all of Romania and has since consistently stood up in defense of human rights. By revoking the decoration of László Tőkés Romania humiliates the entire Hungarian community of Romania, and aims to intimidate those who talk of autonomy, a rightful claim of the Hungarian community of Romania.

Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Photo: MTI – Ildikó Baranyi

Source: http://kormany.hu/