Romanian-born Hungarian MEP Laszlo Tokes attempts to keep his Romania’s Star National Order received in 2009 from President Traian Basescu, failed. The High Court of Cassation and Justice (ICCJ) rejected on Thursday his appeal against the Bucharest Court of Appeals’ 2014 decision confirming the legality of the decision to withdraw the distinction.
The Decision of the Supreme Court is final.
The Bucharest Court of Appeals had rejected as inadmissible Tokes’ request to annul the decision of the Council of Honour of the ‘Star of Romania’ National Order by which his above-mentioned title has been withdrawn.
US historian Lee Edwards, head of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation in Washington, DC, wrote to Tokes’ defence an open letter to President Basescu at that moment, noting that former pastor was an internationally recognised fighter for freedom and democracy who received the foundation’s Truman-Reagan Medal of Freedom in 2009.
On November 20th, 2013, the Council of Honour of the ‘Star of Romania’ National Order has decided by five votes in favour and one abstention to withdraw the distinction granted to Laszlo Tokes.
The main reason for the withdrawal was that on 27th July 2013, Laszlo Tokes asked Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban that, together with his Government to establish a “system of national cooperation” that would offer “protectorate” status to Transylvania, “like Austria did with South Tyrol.”
On 15th December 2013, Laszlo Tokes handed the ‘Star of Romania in rank of Knight’ medal to the Reformed Church of Timisoara, saying that, should a person want to take back his title, they should go to Timisoara.