The Székelyudvarhely Court invalidated the protocol with which the prefect of Hargita county fined Árpád Gálfi, the mayor of Székelyudvarhely, due to the Hungarian national symbols set for October 23, 2018.
Three weeks earlier, the prefect's fine imposed due to the national symbols in Székelyudvarhely, scheduled for March 15, 2020, was annulled by the same court. The summary of the sentence pronounced on Thursday and on May 13 was published on the portal of the Romanian courts. None of the judgments are legally binding, the government agent can file an appeal against both.
During the trial, the mayor of Székelyudvarhely argued, among other things, that the prefect who signed the protocol did not personally visit the site, and therefore could not establish a violation of the law. Since 2018, the agents of the Romanian government have started punishing Székelyföld mayors who decorate their town with Hungarian flags, ribbons, and cockades on March 15 or October 23. The supervisors asked the court to annul all the fines, but so far they have only achieved partial success. Most of the lawsuits are ongoing.
According to the article of the 1994/75 Romanian flag law cited by the prefects, "flags of other countries may be displayed on public buildings and public spaces in Romania only together with the Romanian flag and only during official state visits or international gatherings." In court, the Hungarian leaders of Székelyföld referred to the government decision establishing the implementation instructions of the law, according to which "those ethnic minorities that have a national organization can also use their own symbols at their events" .
Source: MTI
(Header photo: Ákos Barabás)
