SACP+demands+to+Government+of+Hungary



=**Memorandum of demands to the Government of Hungary from the South African Communist Party**=

=**//Stop the Judicial and Political Witch-Hunt against Hungarian Communists!//**=

1 November 2007

Your Excellency Ambassador Mr Istvan Emri
On this day, 1st November 2007, Your Hungarian Prime Minister Gyurcsany will receive a similar appeal from the International Communist and Workers Parties in protest of your government's anti-communist actions. The South African Communist Parties wishes to declare its full support of the Hungarian Communist and Workers Party and its entitlement to elementary democratic rights, including free speech and political activity, which they are being denied under the veil of the current libel case, faced by the HCWP Presidium.

We note with deep concern that a state court is threatening to imprison the entire leadership of the Hungarian Communist Workers' Party (HCWP) for having committed "libel in a public place".

Our conviction is that putting political leaders on trial and banning their parties is the work of dictatorships, not democracies. The action of the Hungarian authorities violates all democratic norms.

We strongly condemn the political persecution directed by the judicial authorities against the HCWP, as a part of the anticommunist witch-hunt against communists in Europe and against all those who fight against mass privatisation of hospitals, schools, cutting down of social expenditures and other forms of neoliberal policy.

We consider this clear manoeuvre of the Hungarian authorities as a vengeful assault against the Hungarian Communists, and call on for international solidarity in defence of the legal and political rights of the HWCP.

We demand immediate stop of the judicial process against the leaders of the Hungarian communists.

We call upon Prime Minister Gyurcsany and the government of Hungary to step back from the abyss and keep its promises of political freedom, by cancelling all charges against the leadership of the HCWP.

We expect a response of intent to reverse this authoritarian decision from your government within the next 7 days.

On behalf of SACP
 * Solly Mapaila**