In its statement, the board of KMKSZ strongly condemned attempts by the Ukrainian State Border Guard Service and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) to intimidate the local Hungarian population through exerting pressure. According to the statement,
Many ethnic Hungarians from Transcarpathia have reported being subjected to arbitrary delays and thorough checks when crossing the border. Ukrainian authorities have searched their phones, reading through personal messages and private correspondence. These actions have most frequently targeted public officials, civil servants, representatives of local municipalities, and journalists of Hungarian ethnicity. Moreover, no written record is provided of the checks. Hungarian citizens have also reported similar treatment.
The statement says that
in order to clarify the matter, the KMKSZ has sent formal letters to the SBU's leadership and the Ukrainian parliament's commissioner for human rights.
As previously reported by Magyar Nemzet, anti-Hungarian incidents have been ongoing for years in Transcarpathia. One recent example included an arson attempt at a church in Palagykomoroc in the Uzhhorod district. The church’s facade was also vandalized with hate-inciting graffiti.
Laws that restrict the rights of minorities—particularly language laws that have been in effect for years—continue to have a severe impact on the Hungarian community in Ukraine.
In addition, ethnic Hungarians regularly face aggressive intimidation tactics that go far beyond mere violations of language rights.
Besides the recent incident in Palagykomoroc, there have been multiple attacks targeting Hungarians in the multi-ethnic Transcarpathian region over the past few years. Notable cases include a 2017 attempt by criminals to blow up the Hungarian conquest memorial at Verecke, and in February 2018, an arson attempt against the KMKSZ headquarters in Uzhhorod.
