E/CN.4/1990/46
page 37
been threatened with dismissal if they continue to take part in religious
activities. It is also reported that the production, importing and
distribution of religious works, particularly the Bible, has been
severely restricted.
"These measures and restrictions, which are said to apply both to
the 14 churches and faiths with legal status and to faiths that are not
recognized, are illustrated by individual cases such as the following:
"(a) Constantin Lungoci, Petrica Morosan, Zaharia Morosan,
Vasile Chindris and Constantin Cirdei, Christians from the region of
Suceava, who belong to the illegal evangelical movement "Army of the
Lord" are said to have been arrested in 1989, between February and April,
and sentenced to terms of imprisonment ranging from 3 to 4 1/2 years for
attending illegal prayer meetings in private houses;
"(b) Valentin Rusu, Gheorghe Jacobuta and Nicolas Jacob, Baptists,
are said to have been arrested on the eve of the demolition by the
authorities of the Baptist church at Comanesti near Bacau. The reason
given for the demolition was that the church had been built without
permission. The members of the congregation, however, claim to have been
given verbal permission. The three Baptists and three accomplices were
accused of building the church with stolen materials. Two other Baptists
arrested at the same time, Pastor Ivan Chivoin and Mihai Cretu, were
released. The accused's trial began on 10 August 1989 at Gheorghe
Georgiu-Dej. Janos Csilik, Catholic priest of Oradea, is said to have
received serious injuries to his hands during interrogation about the
members of his parish;
"(c) Laszlo Tokes, pastor of the Reformed Church at Timisoara, is
alleged to have been dismissed from his position in 1988 for critisizing
the constant decline in the quota of students admitted to study
theology. In August 1989, he was questioned by the Securitate (secret
police) after giving an interview on Hungarian television, on
24 July 1989, in which among other things he criticized the rural
systematization campaign. In September 1989, several members of the
congregation were subjected to pressure and threats designed to create a
conflict between the congregation and Tokes;
"(d) Erno Ujvarossy, a businessman and close associate of
Pastor Laszlo Tokes, and an active member of the Reformed Church in
Timisoara, was threatened with dismissal or transfer to another post, in
order to discourage him from pursuing his activities on behalf of the
Reformed Church. On 12 September 1989, he disappeared in mysterious
circumstances. On 14 September, he was found dead in a wood outside
Timisoara;
"(e) The Roman Catholic Bishop Jakab Antal was allegedly forced in
February 1989 to cancel a mass which was to have been celebrated at Cluj
in honour of his late predecessor, Bishop Aron Marton. Two priests who
disregarded the order to cancel the commemorative meetings for Marton
were removed from their positions."