SR0878 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0878 LRB094 21748 MST 60158 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The 50th Anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution began on October 23, 1956; the sacrifices of the brave Hungarian Freedom Fighters and the great contributions of Hungarian-Americans in Illinois reaffirm the friendship between the people and governments of the United States and Hungary; and

WHEREAS, On October 23, 1956, hundreds of thousands of Hungarians from all walks of life would join university students in a peaceful call for democracy and an end to the brutal and oppressive Soviet-dominated Hungarian communist government; and

WHEREAS, Peaceful protestors were fired upon by the Hungarian Security Police killing hundreds and triggering the bloody fight for freedom and democracy and causing the first tear in the Iron Curtain; and

WHEREAS, The Hungarian Freedom Fighters, students, workers, men, women and children, who rose up against impossible odds and risked their lives to take part in their noble fight for freedom and democracy, were able to establish a revolutionary government that released political prisoners, including major church leaders, took steps to establish a multi-party democracy, called for the withdrawal of all Soviet troops from Hungary, announced Hungary's withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact, and requested United Nations assistance in establishing Hungarian neutrality; and

WHEREAS, The Soviet Union launched a massive military counteroffensive against the revolt, sending tens of thousands of additional troops from the Soviet Union and launched air strikes, artillery bombardments, and coordinated tank-infantry actions involving some 6,000 tanks which, remarkably, the outnumbered and under-equipped Hungarian Army and Hungarian Freedom Fighters resisted for several days; and

WHEREAS, Prime Minister Imre Nagy was seized by Soviet security forces, despite assurances of safe passage for him to leave the Yugoslav Embassy in Budapest where he sought asylum, was taken to Rumania and subsequently tried and executed; and

WHEREAS, Thousands of Hungarians were tortured, tried, and executed by the post-1956 Hungarian government; and

WHEREAS, More than 200,000 Hungarians fled their country in the aftermath of the Soviet suppression of the Hungarian uprising, and over 47,000 of these people eventually were able to settle in the United States where they have contributed greatly to the intellectual strength, cultural diversity, and the economic might of this country; and

WHEREAS, The uprising of the Hungarian people in 1956 dramatically confirmed the widespread contempt in which the Hungarians held the Soviet Union and the underlying weakness of the communist system imposed by Soviet authorities in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as the strength of popular support for democratic principles and the right of the Hungarian people to determine their own national destiny; and

WHEREAS, The 1956 Hungarian Revolution unmasked the true nature of the Soviet system, contributing to the disintegration of communist parties in the West and across the globe; and

WHEREAS, The Hungarians in 1989 dismantled the Iron Curtain and permitted East Germans safe passage to the West, actions that led to the fall of the Berlin Wall; and

WHEREAS, On October 23, 1989, the Republic of Hungary proclaimed its independence, and in 1990 the Hungarian Parliament officially designated October 23 as a Hungarian national holiday, indicating that the legacy of the 1956 Revolution continues to inspire Hungarians to this day; and

WHEREAS, On March 12, 1999, the Government of Hungary, reflecting the will of the Hungarian people, acceded to the North Atlantic Treaty and became a member of NATO and on May 1, 2004; Hungary then became a full member of the European Union; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, we commend the people of Hungary as they mark the 50th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution which set the stage for the ultimate collapse of communism in 1989 throughout Central and Eastern Europe, including Hungary, and two years later in the Soviet Union itself, and therefore it is fitting and appropriate to proclaim October 23, 2006, as "Hungarian Freedom Day" with appropriate ceremonies and activities; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we expresses thanks to the freedom fighters for their bravery in the face of insurmountable odds, many of whom sacrificed their lives for freedom, and to those refugees that brought their talents, skills, and love of freedom and helped build a stronger America; we express our condolences to the people of Hungary and the families who lost loved ones in the fight for Hungarian freedom and independence in 1956 and those executed by the Soviet and Hungarian communist authorities in the five years following the Revolution; we congratulate the American Hungarian Federation, founded in 1906, which played a key role in the resettlement of Hungarian refugees and in illuminating the abuses of the post-1956 Hungarian government, and whose members, many of whom are 1956 Freedom Fighters, continue to work toward promoting freedom and democracy, on its centennial anniversary; we reaffirm the friendship and cooperative relations between the governments of Hungary and the United States and between the Hungarian and American people; we encourage the Governor to issue a proclamation calling upon the people of Illinois to observe "Hungarian Freedom Day" with appropriate ceremonies and activities; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to those who continue to promote freedom and democracy in Hungary.