Úz Valley: the anatomy of a conflict – Part IV

This is the story of how an unsolved border dispute between two settlements (Csíkszentmárton / Sânmartin Ciuc and Dărmănești) turned abruptly for the worse when the mayor of Dărmănești took unilateral action based on questionable documents. It shows how ethnic conflict in the region can provoke tensions that then lead to irreversible impact on both the Hungarian and Romanian communities. The series of events also raises troubling questions about double standards in the Romanian judicial system.

Inauguration postponed, border dispute remains

On May 12, 2019, thousands have gathered and prayed for the Úz Valley graveyard during the ecumenical worship organized on the site. “What’s interesting, though, is that on May 12, when the Harghita County Council organized the ecumenical worship in the Úz Valley cemetery, it was required by law to notify the gendarmerie in time about the event. However, at that time, the Harghita County Gendarmerie said that it wasn’t competent in this matter, but the Bacău County Gendarmerie is. So we notified them as well. However, after the scandal in the Úz Valley, the Harghita County Gendarmerie again became competent on the matter and fined me for failing to notify them in time about the demonstration,” Csaba Borboly told Transylvania Now.

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