Deputy Prime Minister Tanczos Barna declared on Thursday evening, for AGERPRES, at the ceremony in Miercurea Ciuc commemorating the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, that the ideal of freedom is a universal one, characteristic of all peoples, and for the Hungarian people the moment of 1956 represents the symbol of the supreme sacrifice for freedom.

'The love for freedom and the supreme sacrifice for freedom are, practically, characteristic of every people and every nation. All peoples, all nations, have their moments of glory, the glory of the revolution for freedom and for free thinking. 1956, for the Hungarian people, is the symbol of the supreme sacrifice for this ideal of freedom in the face of Russian tanks, in the face of the oppressive force', declared Tanczos Barna.

He added that the fight for freedom does not only belong to the past, but is also manifested in everyday life, including in the case of the Hungarian community in Romania.

'And our daily life is, in practice, a fight for freedom, and ours, of those in the Hungarian community in Romania, by the fact that we respect our traditions, we take care of our mother tongue, of our education system, of our symbols, it is a continuous fight for the freedom to be Hungarian anywhere in this world, regardless of the country, regardless of the borders of some countries. I am convinced that other peoples also respect this ideal and respect the supreme sacrifice of any people for freedom', said Deputy Prime Minister Tanczos.

He also recalled the importance of the annual commemoration of the heroes of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, considering that, in this way, the values of freedom are transmitted to future generations.

'Commemorating, year after year, some heroes means that future generations will learn, will take over from us, will take over from those who lived through those days, those prisons of communism, who are still among us or who, unfortunately, this year, for example, through Mr. Nagy Benedek [history teacher, former parliamentarian, who served five years in prison following the events of 1956], have left us. Their lives and their return to the fight for freedom, as soon as this was possible, in 1989, for example, demonstrate to us that, regardless of the years of prison, regardless of the communist system or how harsh the reprisals were, the flame of freedom can never be extinguished', concluded Tanczos Barna.

Approximately 200 people attended the ceremony commemorating the 1956 Hungarian Revolution at the Gloria Victis statue near the Consulate General of Hungary in Miercurea-Ciuc on Thursday evening. Among those present were people who were convicted or persecuted for supporting the ideas of the 1956 Revolution or their descendants.

The event included several artistic moments, prayers by representatives of historical Hungarian churches, and wreath-laying.

Speeches were delivered by Deputy Prime Minister Tanczos Barna, UDMR MP Hajdu Gabor, and László Palkovics, government commissioner responsible for the field of artificial intelligence in the Budapest Government.

Other commemorative events took place both on Wednesday and Thursday. Also, like every year, the buildings of the cinema and the Consulate General of Hungary in Miercurea Ciuc were illuminated in the red-white-green colors of the Hungarian flag.

Similar events took place in other localities in Harghita.

The Hungarian Revolution of 1956, directed against the communist dictatorship and the Soviet occupation, began on October 23 with a peaceful demonstration by students in Budapest. This quickly turned into a large-scale popular uprising, which was bloodily suppressed by Soviet troops between November 4 and 11.

After the repression of the Revolution in Hungary, thousands of people were arrested in Romania, accused of supporting the ideas of the revolution in the neighboring country. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Gina Stefan; EN - writing by: Bogdan Gabaroi)