Political leader Tokes files criminal complaint against President Iohannis

The Hungarian National Council of Transylvania (CNMT), through its national leader Laszlo Tokes, and the Szekler National Council, through its national leader Balazs Izsak, have filed a criminal complaint against President Klaus Iohannis with the Supreme Court of Justice and Cassation accusing him of incitement to ethnic hatred and negative discrimination.

"The following is a denunciation against Mr Klaus Werner Iohannis, President of Romania, guilty of committing the crime of incitement to hatred and discrimination, as criminalised and penalised under Article 369 of the Criminal Code, committed by his televised statement dated April 29, 2020. (... ) Grounds: The President's televised speech, uttered from the Cotroceni Palace, accompanied by both warlike and mocking gestures, has stirred strong emotions in our country as well as in the neighbouring country. The speech alluded to has three main shortcomings: it is not true, incites the Romanian public against the two categories of persons concerned - the Hungarians and the Social Democratic Party (PSD), and may disturb the neighbourly relations with Hungary," reads the criminal complaint against Iohannis.

The document adds that "the President of Romania has a short memory when it comes to the breakaway of Transylvania, with the signatories adding a number of arguments backing up their complaint.

"You should therefore note that the inciting speech of the president must be qualified as a crime, because it also fulfills the condition that the deed has the degree of social danger that justifies the criminal punishment, with the incidence of the provisions of Article 369 of the Criminal Code being above any doubt," concludes the criminal complaint.

On April 29, President Klaus Iohannis criticised a bill on the autonomy of the Szeklerland, claiming that PSD had helped the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) pass the bill through the Chamber of Deputies.

"Jo napot kivanok [good afternoon in Hungarian], PSD. It is incredible, dear Romanians, what is happening in the Romanian Parliament. PSD has helped UDMR to pass through the Chamber of Deputies a law that gives wide autonomy to the Szeklerland. It is incredible where we have arrived with this PSD. It is incredible what agreements are made in Parliament. It is incredible while I, we, the government, the other authorities are fighting for the lives of Romanians, we are fighting to get rid of this pandemic, the great PSD is fighting in the secret offices of Parliament to give Transylvania away to the Hungarians. Jo napot, Ciolacu! What has the leader of Budapest, Viktor Orban, promised you in exchange for this agreement?," Iohannis told a press briefing at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace.

On the same day, the Chamber of Deputies had tacitly adopted the bill, which was then defeated by the Senate, the decision-making body in that case.