Miklós Duray, politician, writer and university teacher, who died in December at the age of 77, was buried in his hometown of Losonec (Losonc) on Tuesday. The Hungarian political figure from the Slovakian Hungarian community was laid to rest next to his wife, who died five years ago.
At the public funeral and ecumenical mourning service, Hungarian and Slovakian public figures also paid their last respects to Miklós Duray, who died after a long and serious illness. The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his wife Anikó Lévai, László Kövér, Speaker of the Hungarian Parliament, and Boris Kollár, Speaker of the Slovak Parliament, who also expressed their condolences to the family.
Photo: MTI/Komka Péter
Speaking at the funeral of Miklós Duray, Sándor Lezsák, Deputy Speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly, said that Miklós Duray’s life’s work testifies to the fact that his sense of what it means to be Hungarian was deeply rooted in his nerves, and that failures, prison and harassment did not deter him from politics. Miklós Duray fought a long and continuous struggle for freedom for the future of the Hungarian-speaking Hungarian community, he added.
Photo: MTI/Miniszterelnöki Sajtóiroda/Benko Vivien Cher
According to Gyula Bárdos, President of the Slovakian Hungarian cultural institution Csemadok, Miklós Duray could not be replaced, he was a unique personality, a courageous and outspoken man, with whom one could argue, disagree, but not ignore. He said that even in his hospital bed, Miklós Duray asked about community issues.
Photo: Hungary Today
The family was the first to join the mourning procession, followed by public dignitaries and representatives of Hungarian diplomacy. The burial and interment took place in a small family circle.
Featured Photo: MTI Komka Péter