The political trial against Francisc Hossu-Longin intented for publishing the article “Mea culpa”(December 1909)
Autor: Marcel Morar
One of the most severe measures taken by the Hungarian authorities against the Romanian national movement was to issue political trials. Among the personalities with an intense and renowned political activity, who sustained the national movement, monitorized by the Hungarian system of justice, was the well-known politician Francisc Hossu-Longin.
By publishing the article “Mea culpa”, in which he criticized the attitude of a group belonging to the Romanian elite, he was sentenced to one year in prison and 1000 “coroane” fine by the royal court, being accussed of the offence “agitation through written press ”.
His conviction caused important turbulence amongst the journalists. Important personalities of the public life from Hungary, among whom we can mention the sociologist Oszkár Jászi, used the moment for presenting their own more moderate and democratical opinions on nationalities.