Hungary Opens Tens of Thousands of Communist-Era Informer Files, Fulfilling Prime Minister Magyar's Disclosure Pledge
BUDAPEST, Hungary — Hungary released tens of thousands of Communist-era secret police files in an online public database on Wednesday, November 4, Reuters reported, opening a window onto the vast informer network used to spy on citizens during decades of one-party rule. Prime Minister Magyar told a briefing at the archives that some 60,000 names have now been made public. The historic move, more than 36 years after the collapse of communism, is part of centre-right Prime Minister Peter Magyar's pledge to make the records public and allow Hungarians to come to terms with their totalitarian past. From Wednesday, anyone can search the online database for names linked to the former state security services.
The files are far from complete, the report notes: many were destroyed in 1956 during Hungary's anti-Soviet uprising and also in 1988-1989, and additional files will be uploaded by February 2027. Although Communist rule ended in 1989, Hungary delayed fully opening the files due to a lack of strong political will from successive governments, Reuters said. Former Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Tuesday that Communist secret services had tried to recruit him as an informer while he was doing his military service, but he refused.
Source: Government of Hungary
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Photo: 图片来源：匈牙利布达佩斯国会大厦，摄影 Pierre Blaché，CC0（Wikimedia Commons）
