Between 1945 and 1989, authorities relied on coercion, blackmail, and privileges to recruit an extensive spy network to monitor dissent. The upcoming digital release will name an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 individuals, roughly a tenth of whom are still alive today. However, the archive remains incomplete after files were destroyed during the 1956 revolution and the 1989 transition. Detailed dossiers on approximately 9,000 informants will follow in February once personal victim data and sensitive private details are redacted.
Key points
Hungary is creating what researchers term the most transparent former state-security appa…: Hungary is creating what researchers term the most transparent former state-security apparatus in the eastern bloc.
The public release fulfills a specific campaign pledge by Péter Magyar to confront histor…: The public release fulfills a specific campaign pledge by Péter Magyar to confront historical betrayals.
Redacted dossiers protecting victims and sensitive personal data will be published separa…: Redacted dossiers protecting victims and sensitive personal data will be published separately in February.
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Hungary’s new government will on Wednesday reveal the names of tens of thousands of state informants from the communist era in an attempt to confront the past and rebuild public trust.
From 1945 to 1989, Hungary’s communist state-security services relied on an extensive network of informants to monitor society and suppress dissent. Some were blackmailed or coerced into reporting on neighbours, friends, colleagues and even family members; others were recruited through promises of various advantages.
For decades, the extent of this network was hidden from public view. The “agent files”, held in the basement of the Historical Archives of the State Security services, remained largely inaccessible to the public, despite repeated calls and partial leaks.
During his campaign leading up to Hungary’s April parliamentary elections, Péter Magyar promised to make the state-security files public, a promise he seems intent on fulfilling now he is in power.
In September, his government passed a law paving the way for the files to be made public, a move more than two-thirds of the country supported according to polls. The release was initially scheduled…
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