Washington, D.C., October 2, 2026 – The Hungarian Human Rights Foundation (HHRF) and the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice marked the 50th anniversary of HHRF’s founding with a joint commemorative event.

The twelve panel anniversary exhibition was presented in Rayburn House Office Building Foyer on Capitol Hill. It chronicles five decades of HHRF’s work to protect the rights of Hungarian minority communities in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as the organization’s longstanding partnership with the U.S. Congress, which has played an important role in supporting these efforts.

The evening’s host  Anita Pfeifer, HHRF Washington Fellow from Mukachevo (Munkács), Ukraine. In her opening remarks, she drew a personal connection between the history presented in the exhibition and the current circumstances of Hungarian minorities. “This evening is personal for me. The work represented on these panels is not simply history—it remains deeply relevant to my community today,” she said.

The program opened with remarks by Zsolt Szekeres, President of HHRF. He emphasized that the exhibition tells not only the story of the organization, but also the story of its partnership with the U.S. Congress—a relationship that, over the decades, has helped bring international attention to human rights violations affecting Hungarian minority communities.

Founded in New York in 1976, HHRF has worked from the outset to draw international attention to human rights violations affecting Hungarian communities living behind the Iron Curtain. In his remarks, Szekeres paid tribute to László Hámos, who led the organization for 44 years and played a defining role in shaping its strategy and international network. Szekeres also recalled key moments from the Cold War era, when Hungarian Americans documented human rights violations, translated reports, organized demonstrations, and established direct relationships with lawmakers in Washington. Members of Congress addressed the situation of Hungarian communities in East Central Europe through congressional hearings, letters, and statements on the House and Senate floors.

One significant Congressional milestone came in 1987, when Congress suspended Romania’s most-favored-nation trade status in response to the human rights practices of the communist regime led by dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu.

Szekeres also recognized the contributions of Emese Latkóczy, HHRF’s Executive Director. He noted that her decades of service and leadership have helped ensure that HHRF remains not only an effective advocacy organization with a distinguished history, but also an institution prepared to address the challenges of the present and the future.

Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett, President of the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice, spoke about the legacy of her father, Congressman Tom Lantos. She reflected on the lifelong commitment to human rights that defined his congressional career, as well as his close relationship with HHRF and the Hungarian American community.

One of the evening’s keynote speakers was George E. Pataki, the 53rd Governor of New York and a patron of HHRF’s ReConnect Hungary Birthright Program. He spoke about his Hungarian heritage and the importance of passing that heritage on to future generations.

Senator Christopher Dodd, who represented Connecticut in the U.S. Senate for three decades and was an early and steadfast supporter of HHRF, also attended the event.

Guests were also welcomed by video messages from Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur of Ohio and Congressman Andy Harris of Maryland, co-chairs of the Congressional Hungarian Caucus founded by Tom Lantos.

Among those attending the anniversary event were Márk Horváth, Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of Hungary in Washington, D.C., and members of the embassy staff; Andrea Lauer Rice, President of the Hungarian American Coalition; Maximilian Teleki, Honorary President of the organization; Sándor Végh, President of the Kossuth Foundation; William and Renata Kilroy, members of the Board of Trustees of the Kilroy Foundation; Matthew Boyse, Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Central European Affairs; Dorothy Douglas Taft, former Chief of Staff of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, Chief-of Staff of Congressman Chriss Smith; and Michael Ardovino, policy analyst at the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, as well as congressional staff members and leaders and representatives of Hungarian American organizations in the Washington area. Gabriella Vajtay, Program Director, represented Reconnect Hungary, an initiative that connects young Hungarian Americans in North America with their Hungarian heritage.

Prior to the Washington, D.C., event, the 12-panel anniversary exhibition could be viewed in August during the Kolozsvári Magyar Napok (Cluj Hungarian Days Festival), Romania, and subsequently in the Hungarian Parliament in Budapest. András Baka, President of Hungary, also attended the Budapest event.