Hungary released thousands of communist-era secret police records to the public on Wednesday, with some 60,000 names made public in a searchable online database, according to Prime Minister Peter Magyar, after years of repeated delays in efforts to open the archives. Center-right Prime Minister Peter Magyar, who unseated longtime populist leader Viktor Orban in April, called the long-delayed publication the fulfilment of one of the key promises of the 1990 regime change.
Magyar told a media briefing at the state security archives on Wednesday that the publication fulfilled what was once one of the key promises of the 1990 regime change, a promise that was later denied and lied about. He asked everyone to treat the long-overdue release with dignity and humanity, saying many families would now face difficult information, often related to a deceased family member. "It is impossible to process a trauma without discussion and asking questions," he said.
Hungary was under one-party communist rule from 1949 to 1989. As in a number of Eastern European countries during the Cold War, the secret police relied on a vast network of informants who were often coerced into reporting on colleagues, friends and even relatives. Attempts to open the archives after communism ended in 1989 were repeatedly stalled, with some critics blaming successive governments' reluctance to implicate public figures.
According to estimates from the state security archives, authorities recruited some 150,000 informants, although records for about two-thirds of them no longer exist. Many files were destroyed in 1956 during Hungary's anti-Soviet uprising, or hidden during the transition to democracy; some are believed to have been taken to Moscow.
Laszlo Eorsi, a historian from the 1956 Institute Foundation, told the AFP news agency that the move was "better late than never." He said the public was now getting access to much more information than before about who the authorities recruited and how the security apparatus worked, and predicted the release could cause some hysteria in the coming months.
Ahead of publication, rumors circulated that former Prime Minister Viktor Orban was an informant, but his name did not appear in the digital database on Wednesday. Orban said on Tuesday that communist secret services had tried to recruit him while he was doing his military service, but he refused.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The searchable archive puts tens of thousands of names into the public record, exposing how Hungary's secret police recruited informants and confronting families with painful histories.
- After 36 years of stalled attempts, the release fulfils a pledge associated with the 1990 transition and gives historians and the public far more information than before.
- A second batch of files expected by February means further records and names may still surface.
Background
Hungary was under one-party communist rule from 1949 to 1989, and its secret police ran a vast informant network, often coercing people to report on colleagues, friends and relatives. Attempts to open the files after communism ended in 1989 repeatedly stalled, with some critics blaming successive governments' reluctance to implicate public figures. Peter Magyar, who unseated longtime populist leader Viktor Orban in April, had pledged unrestricted public access and has now delivered the first batch.
Key Perspectives
Peter Magyar: Says the publication fulfils a key promise of the 1990 regime change and asks Hungarians to treat the files with dignity and humanity because many families will face difficult information.
Laszlo Eorsi: The historian welcomes the move as "better late than never" and expects it to reveal more about recruitment and the security apparatus, possibly causing hysteria in the coming months.
Viktor Orban: Says communist secret services tried to recruit him during his military service but he refused; his name did not appear in the database.
What to Watch
- A second batch of files is expected by February.
- Whether the release prompts the public and private revelations the historian predicted in the coming months.
- How families, politicians and public figures respond as names are looked up in the searchable archive.