Hungary opens communist-era secret police files, naming around 55,000 to 60,000 informants

In brief

• Hungary has published communist-era secret police files naming roughly 55,000 to 60,000 informants.
• The release, a campaign promise of Prime Minister Péter Magyar, was timed to the 70th anniversary of the 1956 uprising.
• Officials acknowledge the files are incomplete, and critics say the move came too late.

Public access to the archives

Hungary began publishing files of the communist-era secret police on Wednesday, 4 November. Reports put the number of names at about 55,000 (Maďarsko odtajnilo prvé spisy komunistickej tajnej služby. Verejnosť sa dozvie mená 55-tisíc spolupracovníkov – STVR), while another outlet cited 60,000 (V Maďarsku zveřejnili 60 tisíc jmen spolupracovníků komunistické tajné policie – Novinky.cz).

Why now

The date was chosen deliberately: on 4 November 1956 Soviet tanks entered Budapest and other cities to crush the revolution against Soviet occupation (Hungría abre los archivos secretos de los informantes del régimen comunista – EL PAÍS) (Secret police files released in Hungary, 47 years after fall of communism – BBC News). Magyar said he wanted the publication to be treated with dignity, noting that many families would now face painful information about deceased relatives.

Doubts and limits

The files are incomplete. Magyar himself acknowledged that part of the archive had been shredded shortly before the regime changed. Critics argue the move came decades late and could divide society and cause needless distress.

What the files show

The archive director, historian Gergő Bendegúz Cseh, said the first batch mainly concerns ordinary citizens. Records indicate whether people spied and informed voluntarily, for money, or under blackmail. Speculation has already surfaced in the media about informants among well-known figures and politicians. Former prime minister Viktor Orbán said he had been approached to cooperate during his military service but refused.

Context

Hungary is the last major country in the region to publish such lists. The Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia had already released their informant names. Hungary's opening comes 36 years after the transition to democracy in 1989 (Hungary opens communist-era secret police files identifying informants – DW).