Secret police files released in Hungary, 47 years after fall of communism
Summary
Hungary has made personal records for about 60,000 people recruited by its communist-era secret services available online. Prime Minister Péter Magyar said the release fulfills a campaign promise and could help people confront the past, while critics warn that incomplete records may lead to unfair judgments and distress for families.Key Facts
- The records were released on 4 November, the anniversary of Soviet forces crushing Hungary’s 1956 revolution.
- The online records list names and personal details, including informers’ codenames, addresses, recruitment motives and handlers.
- A further set of records, called B-dossiers, is scheduled for release on 25 February after digitization.
- Historians estimate that Hungary’s communist-era secret services recruited about 150,000 to 160,000 informers between December 1944 and February 1990.
- Some informers were coerced through threats involving employment, education, medicine or exposure of private information.
- Since 1998, people have been able to request their own files, and historians have had limited access to files about others.
- Critics say the records are incomplete and may not show informers’ motives or the circumstances of recruitment.
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