Hungary’s historic sacrifices" against Soviet domination and Communism during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, the White House confirmed Thursday, June 8.
President Bush’s June 22 visit to Budapest is part of a bilateral program and comes after his participation in the US-European Union Summit in Vienna, Austria. That trip comes instead of a planned visit to Ukraine, amid fears it could upset Russia which had tensions with the Ukrainian government over natural gas and other issues, Reuters news agency reported.
US officials have touted Ukraine’s Orange Revolution in 2004 as an example of the spread of global democracy, but the country has been unable to form a government since a March election because of arguments over who should get the most important jobs.
The White House said on Thursday Bush would go to Budapest after a meeting with European leaders in Vienna, capital of neighboring Austria. "The President will celebrate Hungary’s historic sacrifices in the name of freedom by commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution," the White House said in a statement monitored by BosNewsLife in Budapest.
Although the Soviet Union crushed the revolution, killing thousands of protesters, "with more tanks than Nazi Germany used to invade Russia," these events impacted the East Block and eventually made Communism crumble, survivor and politician Imre Mecs told a BosNewsLife reporter.
UNIFYING NATION
Mecs, who narrowly escaped execution by the Communists during years of imprisonment, earlier described the first commemorative ceremony held on June 16, 1989, as representing "a unifying moment for the nation."
Thousands attended the 1989-ceremony where the coffins of the executed Prime Minister Imre Nagy and his five executed associates were honored. A sixth coffin represented all the other executed martyrs during the ceremony, which was watched by millions live on television.
It was seen as the beginning of a new era after decades of Communism when both political dissidents and active Christians were persecuted in Hungary. Among the most famous believers was Cardinal Jozsef Mindszenty (1892-1975), who was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1948 for his opposition to secularization of Catholic schools and his refusal to recognize the new Communist government.
SEEKING REFUGE
Freed in 1956 during the Hungarian Revolution, he sought refuge at the American embassy after the Soviet invasion of Hungary. He was forced to leave the country in 1971. Following his death in exile, his remains were reburied in Hungary in 1991 .
Evangelical Christians and believers trying to evangelize or teach children from the Bible, were also targets for harassment and in some cases imprisonment during Communism, BosNewsLife learned.
Bush’s visit is seen as an attempt to overcome frustration over America’s failure to come to the rescue of the outgunned Hungarians fighting for freedom in 1956 and the decades of Soviet-rule. The White House said Bush’s visit "underscores the success of the US-European partnership in securing freedom in the region, and highlight the lessons offered from Hungary’s successful transition from tyranny to free-market democracy."
CLOSE ALLY
It noted that Hungary "is a close NATO ally, sharing its experiences with emerging democracies and committed to the war on terror."
The White House also praised Hungary for making "important contributions in support of democracy and security in the Balkans, Afghanistan, and Iraq."
Bush was looking forward to his discussions "on our transatlantic agenda" with President Laszlo Solyom and Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany, the White House added. (BosNewsLife’s Tamas S. Kiss contributed to this story).
