They are the victims of forced migration and subject to beatings if they use their Hungarian language. They are the target of hostile propaganda designed to denigrate their cultural identity. and incredibly. ethnic Hungarian parents are even forbidden to give their children traditional Hungarian names. During 1988 alone. approximately 18.000 ethnic Hungarians fled to Hungary from Romania. which represents the first time in recent history that refugees from one Warsaw Pact country have sought refuge in another. Responding at least in part to the compelling nature of this situation. the Government of Hungary has reversed its previous policy of returning Romanian refugees caught at the border. Unfortunately. attempts to flee to Hungary are fraught with danger and often end in tragedy. In one incident. a Romanian guard on horseback actually pursued a refugee into Hungarian territory and shot him dead. The situation in Romania will only change if the world community refuses to keep silent. The United StatesHelsinki Watch Committee. a nongovernmental organization founded to promote domestic and International compliance with the human rights provisions of the 1975 Helsinki accords. has released a report entitled "Destroying Ethnic Identity: The Hungarians of Romania." which discusses the current situation there.
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refugee refugees