The security of the Hungarian community in Transcarpathia is of paramount importance

Members of the Fidesz Delegation in the European Parliament Andrea Bocskor and Kinga Gál addressed questions for written answer to Josep Borrell (Vice-President of the European Commission, High Representative for Foreign Affairs), regarding the recent anti-Hungarian atrocities happening in Beregszasz, and drew attention to the troubling news surrounding the Myrotvorets website. In addition, the MEPs demand an answer on what steps has the EU taken since the EU-Ukraine Association Council’s meeting to receive a guarantee from the Ukrainian authorities for the security of the Hungarian community in Transcarpathia and to prevent anti-Hungarian actions and provocations in the region.

The Fidesz MEPs drew attention to the atrocity yet again committed against the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia, anti-Hungarian, threatening posters appeared on the streets of Beregszász (Berehove) at the dawn of Orthodox Easter. The wall stickers contained such threatening messages as “Knife the Hungarians !!!”, “You get a week to leave the Ukrainian land, otherwise we will poison you as rats! Glory to the nation !!! Death to the enemies !!! ”. The perpetrators even shared photos of the plot on well-known community sites, however following the police investigation they have been removed. Although this time the alleged perpetrators were arrested, who according to the authorities did the provocative action on Russian orders, it is worrying that the identities of many former perpetrators of anti-Hungarian activities have not yet been revealed. While Ukraine has a criminal law for this type of crime, perpetrators of provocations based on ethnic hatred have very rarely been found or prosecuted.

“The Ukrainian authorities should prevent any incitement to ethnic hatred, investigate all such cases and find those responsible, because impunity encourages further crimes, spreads fears in the Hungarian community of Transcarpathia and casts a bad light on the sincerity of European democratic commitments. The main measure of a country’s democratic status is how safe the minorities living in its territory are, ” emphasized the Fidesz MEPs.

In their second question, Andrea Bocskor and Kinga Gál informed Josep Borrell of the recently published news that the Myrotvorets website was at the top of the list of sources recommended by the National Bank of Ukraine to the Ukrainian banks to check the background of their customers. Although, according to legal experts, this letter is of a recommendatory nature only, banks nevertheless considered it as a guideline to follow. Recently, the National Bank of Ukraine removed the Myrotvorets website from this list.

“I was surprised to read the news about the ties between the Myrotvorets website and the National Bank of Ukraine. In addition to informing the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, we asked whether the European Commission was monitoring developments on the website, ”said Andrea Bocskor.