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BOX-FOLDER-REPORT: 27-3-28
TITLE:             East European Dissidents' Appeal on Hungarian Revolution Anniversary
BY:                Vladimir V. Kusin
DATE:              1986-10-28
COUNTRY:           Germany
ORIGINAL SUBJECT:  RAD Background Report/151

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RADIO FREE EUROPE
RADIO LIBERTY

RADIO FREE EUROPE Research

RAD Background Report/151
(Eastern Europe)
28 October 1986

EAST EUROPEAN DISSIDENTS' APPEAL ON HUNGARIAN
REVOLUTION ANNIVERSARY

by Vladimir V. Kusin

Summary: A joint statement, signed by 122
dissidents from Czechoslovakia, the GDP,
Hungary, and Poland, has been issued to
commemorate the 30th anniversary of the
Hungarian Uprising. It appealed for political
democracy, independence, and pluralism based on
the principles of self-government for those
countries, respect for the rights of all
minorities there, and for the peaceful
reunification of divided Europe.

* * *

A joint statement was issued by 122 dissidents from
Czechoslovakia, the GDR, Hungary, and Poland to mark the 30th
anniversary of the Hungarian Uprising. It was the first time
that dissidents from four East European countries had
coordinated a joint statement outlining their broad beliefs and
affirming their determination to support one another in the
future. (The text of statement appears at the end of this
paper.)

Earlier joint statements by dissidents mostly concerned
common ground in regard to particular policies of the East
European regimes, such as the Czechoslovak-East German
opposition to the stationing of Soviet nuclear missiles, or
protests by dissidents from one country against specific
incidents of persecution in another. More recently, Polish
activists and Charter 77 spokesmen, who had previously spoken in
each other's defense and in 1978 even organized two joint
meetings, have exchanged messages and other items for
publication in their respective samizdat periodicals.

The signatories' choice of the 30th anniversary of the
Hungarian Revolution as the occasion for the recent joint
statement lends it a much wider significance than the earlier

[page 2]

RAD BR/151

joint stands. For the statement is more than just an historical
recollection. It takes the events in Hungary in 1956 as an
epitome of the struggle for "independence, democracy, and
neutrality," a struggle that it maintained must go on. The
signatories said that the experience and tradition of the
Hungarian Revolution "remain our common heritage and
inspiration." They could have chosen any of several other themes
for establishing a consensus, such as peace, human rights, or
the threat to the environment. Instead, they went much further
and found a common voice in calling for a system-related
change:

We declare our joint determination to struggle for
political democracy in our countries, their independence,
pluralism based on [the] principles of self-government,
[the] peaceful reunification of divided Europe and its
democratic integration, as well as the rights of all
minorities.

In this way, the objectives expressed in the statement go
beyond the "dialogue and reform" tenor that has so far been
typical of large segments of the dissident community in Eastern
Europe. The statement amounts to an expression of a basic,
noncommunist philosophical and political creed. It does not,
however, rule out the gradual approach to change, because it
does not discuss the methods for attaining these stated aims. It
simply refers to mutual support "in our current attempts for a
better, free, and decent life in our countr[ies] and the whole
world."

Tellingly, the Hungarian signatories encompass virtually
all sections of dissent, including environmentalists and some
people who have not figured on earlier proclamations. Private
sources say that the East German signatories played an active
role in preparing the statement; they include peace activists,
antimilitarists, evangelical Christians, former Marxists, and
human rights campaigners, as well as a few names that are new to 
outside observers. The Polish contingent also covers a range of
intellectuals and includes former KOR members and Solidarity
activists; but none of the Polish signatories from the
constituency normally known as lay Catholics can be identified.
The Czechoslovaks--who include two Slovaks, one ethnic Hungarian
(Miklos Duray), and one Czech who lives in Slovakia-are a
typical Charter 77 cross-section of democrats, former
Communists, Catholics, Protestants, and "radical Socialists."

Rather than commenting on any gaps in the spectrum of
dissidents represented by the statement, it would perhaps be
more apposite to point out the great difficulties faced by East
European dissidents in communicating with one another inside
their own countries, let alone across national borders. Also,
the writing and signing of public statements is obviously not
the only kind of activity that the oppositions in
communist-ruled countries pursue. A division of labor, as it were, among

[page 3]

RAD 3R/151

the dissident community within each country evolved long ago; it
is more important for some people (and groups) not to sign than
to sign, when, for example, the public exposure that would
result from signing (as in the present case) might jeopardize
their possible attainments in other areas. The fact that many
more people believe in the aims expressed in the statement than
have actually signed it can be taken for granted.

Similarly, the absence of signatories from Bulgaria and
Romania does not in any way signify that courageous opponents of
the system do not exist there. The difficulty of communication
may be the main reason why their names do not appear on the
statement. Circumstances have made it incumbent on those who
can establish contact to speak in the name of those who cannot.
One can safely assume that this applies to many dissidents in
the Soviet Union as well. It is the history of dissent
throughout Eastern Europe and its manifold manifestations of
opposition to communism that truly endorse the present
statement, not just the 122 people who have found some way of
affixing their name to it.

In fact, on October 21, a message from three Romanian
dissidents, all members of the now outlawed National Peasant-
Party, was read out at a press conference in London. The
endorsed the joint statement and expressed their recognition of
the objectives of the Hungarian Revolution.

It would be wrong to consider the statement as immediately
ushering in a period of "concerted action against communist
rule." The reality of East European communism does not permit
this, and it will not have changed because of the statement.
Nevertheless, the word and the spirit are important and powerful
opponents of communism, and so is the joining of hands: across
borders. In this sense, the statement is remarkable, and it
will certainly bear fruit.

* * *

TEXT OF THE STATEMENT

Preamble

On the Anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution thirty years
ago, on 23 October 1956, workers, students, and soldiers stormed
the building of the radio in Budapest because they were fed up
with the official lies and wished to hear the truth and to voice
their demands. They destroyed Stalin's statue and the
credibility of the regime, which called itself the dictatorship
of the proletariat and the republic of the people, The struggle
made it clear that what the Hungarian people really wanted was
independence, democracy, and neutrality. They wanted to live in
peace, in a free and decent society.

[page 4]

RAD BR/151

The Hungarian Revolution, as well as the uprising in East
Berlin and the Prague Spring and the social movement of the tree
trade union, Solidarity, in Poland, were suppressed either by
Soviet intervention or domestic military violence. Over the
past 30 years life has become easier for many, some people ???
up without being thrown into jail. Bun the basic demands 01
revolutionaries have not been realized.

Appeal

On the day of the anniversary, we appeal to our friends
around the world to join us in commemorating the 1956 Revolution
in Hungary. We declare our joint determination to struggle for
political democracy in our countries, their independence,
pluralism based on principles of self-government, peaceful
reunification of divided Europe and its democratic integration,
as well as for the rights of all minorities. 

We emphasise support for one another in our current
attempts for a better, free and decent life in our country and
the whole world.

The tradition and the experience of the Hungarian
Revolution of 1956 remain our common heritage and inspiration.

Budapest, Berlin (GDR), Prague, Warsaw
23 October 1986

Hungarian List of Signatories

Ivan Baba	Temas Molnar
Antal Bogar	Andras Nagy
Peter Bokros	Jeno Magy
Geza Buda	Tiber Pakh
Sandor Csoori	Robert Palinkas
Istvan Csurka	Gy ala Perlaki
Gabor Dernszky	Gyorgy Petri
Olga Dioszegi	Sandor Racz
Arpad Gonez	Sandor Radnoti
Bela Gondos	Laszio Rajk
Judit Gyenes	Laszlo Rusai
Aliz Halda	Ottilia Solt
Miklos Haraszti	Miklos Sulyok
Janos Kenedi	Jeno Szell
Zsolt Keszthelyi	Margit Szecsi
Janos Kis	Sandor Szilagyi
Karoly Kiszely	Pal Szalai
Gyorgy Konrad	Jozsef Talata

[page 5]

Csaba Konczol	Gaspar Miklos Tamas
Ferenc Koszeg		Miholy Vajdo
Gyorgy Krasso	Domokos Varga
Zsolt Krokovay	Lajos Vargyas
Gabriella Lengyel	Judit Vasarhelyi
Sandor Lezsak	Miklos Vasarhelyi
Fruzsina Magyar
Imre Mecs
Miklos Meszoly
Tamas Mikes

GDR List
Martin Boettger	Lutz Nagorski
Baerbel Bohley	Gerd Poppe
Ulrike Poppe
Rainer Dietrich	Wolfgang Rudderklau
Werner Fischer	Niko Schonfeld
Peter Grimm	Regina Templin
Monika Haeger	Wolfgang Templin
Ralf Hirsch	Mario Wetzky
Herbert Miszlitz	

Czechoslovak List

Rudolf Battek	Ivan Lamper
Vaclav Benda	Ladislav Lis
Jan Carnogursky	Vaclav Maly
Jiri Dienstbier	Anna Marvanova
Miklos Dura y	Martin Palous
Jiri Gruntorad	Jiri Ruml
Jiri Hajek	Jaroslav Sabata
Vaclav Havel	Anna Sabatova
Ladislav Hejdanek	Libuse Silhanova
Eva Kanturkova	Milan Simecka
Jan Kozlik	Frantisek Starek
Miroslav Kusy	Peter Uhl

Polish List

Konrad Bielinski	Jan Litynski
Marian Brandys	Barbara Malak
Jacek Czaputowicz	Wojciech Maziarski
Marek Edelman	Adam Michnik
Jacek Fedorowicz	Leszek Moczulski
Jan Andrej Gorny	Piotr Niemczyk
Janusz Grzelak	Zofia Romaszewska
Zbigniew Janas	Zbigniew Romaszewski
Jan Kieianowski	Krystyna Starczewska
Wiktor Kulerski	Stefan Starczewski
Wladislaw Kunicki-Goldfiinger	Aniela Steinsbergowa
Zofia Kuratowska	Klemens Szaniawski
Jacek Kuron	Jacek Szymanderski
Jan Josef Lipski	Henryk Wujec

-end-

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