WHEREAS, on October 23, 1956, the people of Hungary rose up against Communist tyranny and Soviet occupation to defend their freedom and sovereignty; and

WHEREAS, the United States gave moral support and encouragement to the people of Hungary in their struggle for freedom; and

WHEREAS, for the first time under Soviet occupation anywhere, the Hungarian Freedom Fighters established a revolutionary government that took preliminary steps to form a democracy and break from the Soviet-controlled Warsaw Pact; and

WHEREAS, on November 4, 1956, the Soviet Union's invasion of Hungary began anew with overwhelming force, brutally suppressing the democratic uprising and toppling the legitimate government; and

WHEREAS, thousands of Hungarians were tortured, tried, and executed by the post-1956 Hungarian government, and more than 200,000 Hungarians fled after the suppression of the revolt; and

WHEREAS, tens of thousands of Hungarians who fled persecution sought refuge in the United States, many of whom settled in the Commonwealth, bringing their talents, skills, experiences, and love of freedom to help to build a stronger and more culturally enriched Virginia; and

WHEREAS, the seeds of the revolution that began with the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 took root again and spread to other Eastern European countries, leading slowly to economic and political reform in the early 1980s and then accelerating to spur the revolutions of 1989 and the demise of the Soviet Union two years later; and

WHEREAS, with the dissolution of the Communist Party in Hungary, the Hungarian Parliament, from October 16 to October 20, 1989, adopted legislation providing for multi-party parliamentary elections and a direct presidential election, sealing the transformation of Hungary from a People's Republic into the Third Republic of Hungary; and

WHEREAS, on October 23, 1989, a date chosen to honor the 1956 revolution, the Presidential Council was dissolved and Provisional President Mátyás Szurös officially proclaimed the liberation and independence of the Republic of Hungary; and

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth holds in great esteem the Hungarian people who displayed unwavering determination, courage, and sacrifice in their long quest for democracy and freedom; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the anniversaries of the Hungarian Revolution and the establishment of the Third Republic of Hungary be commemorated; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the contributions of Hungarian-Americans in the Commonwealth be recognized; and, be it

RESOLVED FINALLY, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy for presentation to His Excellency Dr. László Szabó, the Ambassador of Hungary to the United States, so that the people of Hungary may be apprised of the sense of the General Assembly in this matter.