communist era

March 10, 2010, 09:38 CET

Court rules former PM Németh can hold on to documents on regime change

Miklos Nemeth, Hungary's last communist-era prime minister, will not be obliged to hand over copies of protocols of talks he had engaged in with the Soviet regime during Hungary's peaceful transition to democracy in 1989, a Budapest court ruled on... [read complete entry]

February 10, 2010, 09:39 CET

Jobbik calls for dismantling of Soviet war memorial

The radical nationalist Jobbik party called for the removal of a Soviet war memorial from Szabadsag Square in central Budapest at a press conference on Tuesday. The prominent memorial has been a subject of dispute since the change of regime... [read complete entry]

February 02, 2010, 10:39 CET

Communist-era files recovered to DVD

Informatics experts have been able to recover all information on communist-era secret files stored on tapes and handed them over to the national security authority, a member of the committee overseeing the recovery told a conference in Budapest on Monday.... [read complete entry]

January 06, 2010, 08:06 CET

Gov't says decision on secret communist tapes by mid-February

The Hungarian government expects a decision by mid-February on the disclosure of information on communist-era secret files stored on tapes which recently underwent a successful data recovery operation, the government spokesman said on Tuesday. Domokos Szollar spoke in response to... [read complete entry]

December 30, 2009, 11:07 CET

Ecology, culture seen as key issue dominating President's agenda in '09

The key topics addressed by Hungarian President Laszlo Solyom in 2009, his last full year in office, were the heritage of the 1956 revolution, the relationship between state and "cultural nation" and the necessity of an ecological change, head of... [read complete entry]

December 30, 2009, 10:33 CET

Bajnai urged to speed up opening of communist-era secret files

An independent MP urged Hungarian Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai on Tuesday to press for new legislation on the handling of pre-1990 communist era files. Jozsef Gulyas called on Bajnai to make a commitment "beyond verbal agreement" to speeding up the... [read complete entry]

December 15, 2009, 10:27 CET

Hungarian "spy tapes" under spotlight

Hungary's government is expected to decide soon about the future of some top-secret tapes containing communist-era secret service files, national daily Nepszabadsag reported on Tuesday. The exact content of the tapes is unknown, but a group of IT experts have... [read complete entry]

December 03, 2009, 12:42 CET

Bajnai gives medal to "legendary" former US ambassador Palmer

Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai presented a high state honour to Mark Palmer, who had been the US ambassador to Hungary during its transition to democracy 20 years ago, in Washington on Wednesday, US time. The prime minister handed over the... [read complete entry]

November 27, 2009, 10:11 CET

Danish diplomat involved in '56 intrigues in Hungary honored

Danish Ambassador to Hungary Mads Sandau-Jensen laid a wreath at the monument to Danish diplomat Povl Bang-Jensen yesterday at an event organised by organisations that honour the 1956 Uprising against the Soviets. "We must protect the memory of those who... [read complete entry]

November 18, 2009, 09:36 CET

Another survey finds Hungarians grim about democratic transition

Two out of three Hungarians believe that the transition to democracy since 1989 has been a failure, according to the results of a survey of the four Visegrad countries by PASOS (Policy Association for an Open Society), presented on Tuesday.... [read complete entry]

November 16, 2009, 08:42 CET

Orbán says west too quick to embrace former communist leaders

Viktor Orban, head of Hungary's main opposition Fidesz party, thanked Germany for "helping Central Europe get rid of communism and integrate in the western part of Europe" in Berlin on Friday. Addressing a conference organised by the European People's Party... [read complete entry]

November 10, 2009, 09:43 CET

Bajnai says Hungary proud of role in bringing down Berlin Wall

Hungary’s role in the fall of the Berlin Wall makes it one of the “heroes of the moment” of 1989, Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai told Hungarian reporters in Berlin before Monday commemorations marking the 20th anniversary of the collapse of... [read complete entry]

November 09, 2009, 02:29 CET

Hungarians less positive about regime change than regional peers

Hungarians are generally disappointed with the outcome of the post 1989-1990 democratic transition compared to the Czechs, Poles or Slovaks, according to the results of a survey published on Monday. Whereas 63 percent of Czechs qualified their country's post-communist transition... [read complete entry]

October 22, 2009, 10:11 CET

Remembering '56: Let the people speak

Unless something big happens, we won't be posting during tomorrow's October 23rd national holiday. But rather than post today about our feelings on the annual commemoration of the 1956 anti-Soviet revolt, we're going to follow the suggestion of one... [read complete entry]

October 21, 2009, 09:42 CET

Socialist MEPs boycott commemoration of 1956 revolt

The 53rd anniversary of Hungary's 1956 anti-Soviet revolution was commemorated in the European Parliament on Tuesday. The ceremony held during the parliamentary session's break was initiated by the group of Hungarian MEPs of the European Peoples' Party and an ethnic... [read complete entry]

October 19, 2009, 11:58 CET

News Flash: Not everything that happened since '89 is worth celebrating

The notable American journalist - and former Budapest denizen - Matt Welch has an interesting piece in the current issue of the libertarian magazine Reason bemoaning the indifference on the part of the American media and the United States in... [read complete entry]

July 20, 2009, 03:22 CET

National security head Laborc resigns in wake of spying scandal

Sandor Laborc on Monday resigned as head of the National Security Office (NBH), the Prime Minister's Office told MTI in a statement. PM Gordon Bajnai has accepted the resignation and Laborc will step down from his post on September 1,... [read complete entry]

June 29, 2009, 11:30 CET

Political leaders attend gala marking 1989 anniversary

The memory of the events of 1989, the courage of the Hungarian nation at that time should give "strength, faith and self-confidence" to today's daily struggles for perfecting our achievements thus far, Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai said at a gala... [read complete entry]

June 03, 2009, 08:40 CET

Workers' Party publishes EP election manifesto

The Hungarian Communist Workers' Party (MKM) promises to defend Hungarian workers and national culture, remain independent from both major parties and confront the rule of capital in its manifesto for the June 7 European parliamentary elections published on the party's... [read complete entry]

June 02, 2009, 08:31 CET

SZDSZ urges Bajnai to push bill on releasing communist-era files

Hungary's liberal opposition Free Democrats (SZDSZ) have asked Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai to state when the government intends to complete a legislation on making classified files on Hungary's communist past public, liberal MP Jozsef Gulyas told MTI on Saturday. Gulyas,... [read complete entry]

April 27, 2009, 07:43 CET

SZDSZ finalizes EP election list

Hungary's small liberal party, the Alliance of Free Democrats, has finalised its list of candidates for the European Parliamentary elections to be held on June 7, a party official told a news conference on Saturday.... [read complete entry]

April 09, 2009, 10:13 CET

Liberal leader outlines party's expectations for new government

The Free Democrats expect the next cabinet to restore the prestige of a state governed by the rule of law, to apply means-testing principles in paying social benefits and to allow greater access to lists of Communist-era informants, party chairman... [read complete entry]

April 06, 2009, 03:28 CET

Everything you need to know about Hungary's new leaders to feel sick to your stomach

As expected, over the weekend Hungary's Socialists officially picked replacements for both prime minister and party leader. (Both positions had been held by Ferenc Gyurcsány, who within a few short days is expected to be shuffled off to a... [read complete entry]

March 16, 2009, 08:38 CET

Orbán says government turning clock back to communist era

Hungary is currently in political crisis as a result of the Socialist government's attempt to restore the country's [communist] past, said the leader of Fidesz, the main conservative opposition, at a party rally marking the March 15 national holiday.... [read complete entry]

March 11, 2009, 08:12 CET

Supreme Court hands down acquittal in case of banned red star

Hungary's Supreme Court on Tuesday acquitted a one-time vice president of the Workers' Party on charges of using totalitarian symbols, overturning an earlier ruling of the Budapest Municipal Court.... [read complete entry]

February 27, 2009, 12:02 CET

Top-secret records on Communist-era informers to be turned over to civilians

Top secret magnetic tapes containing possibly the most comprehensive database of informants recruited in the Kádár-era will be processed by historians and then archived, Secret Services Minister György Szilvásy announced at a press briefing on Thursday.... [read complete entry]

February 10, 2009, 09:41 CET

Supreme Court sentences retired officer for 1956 shooting

Hungary's Supreme Court has handed retired colonel Janos Korbely a five year prison sentence for his role in a volley fire in Tata (NW) during the anti-Soviet uprising in 1956, Hungarian public television MTV reported on Monday.... [read complete entry]

January 08, 2009, 08:21 CET

Regime-change documents to be posted online

The Budapest-based Open Society Archives (OSA) and MTI will jointly publish a vast array of transcripts and recordings to mark the 20th anniversary of the change of political system in 1989.... [read complete entry]

January 08, 2009, 08:18 CET

SZDSZ demands gov't timeline for declassifying communist secrets

Hungary's liberal opposition Alliance of Free Democrats (SZDSZ) has asked Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany to indicate when classified material from the communist past will be made public, a senior party member told MTI on Wednesday.... [read complete entry]

December 22, 2008, 10:21 CET

Far-left activists detained for wearing red stars

Four activists, including Workers Party 2006 chairman Attila Vajnai, were detained at a demonstration in Budapest on Sunday for displaying Communist red stars, which are banned as emblems of tyranny.... [read complete entry]

December 19, 2008, 11:53 CET

Shock as former Communists use market forces to suppress anti-Communist documentary

In addition to controversies over a monument to Hungary's 1956 anti-Soviet uprising and the awards given to Hungarians who helped suppress it, now we have a nice little controversy over allegations that the government is suppressing a film about... [read complete entry]

December 19, 2008, 11:26 CET

List of "honorees" in suppression of '56 uprising published

A list consisting of the names of two thousand people who received awards for crushing Hungary's 1956 anti-Soviet uprising was made public by the October 23rd Committee Foundation, index.hu reports.... [read complete entry]

November 26, 2008, 12:57 CET

Report details murky world of official named in MP fraud case

Péter Lusztig, a former police chief allegedly involved in the Zuschlag corruption case, is being paid Ft 300,000 per month for "occasional advice" to the ministry of justice, writes Gondola.hu, a news portal considered sympathetic to the current opposition, based... [read complete entry]

November 26, 2008, 07:56 CET

Parties deny Communist-era spies among MPs parliament

News portal Zoom.hu has published denials by all the major parties apart from SZDSZ that state security agents from the Communist era are still operating in Parliament. The allegations were reported by the same source on November 21.... [read complete entry]

November 07, 2008, 12:01 CET

Hungary's communist-era secrets may be lost due to aging computer tapes

Magnetic tapes used before 1990 to store classified data could soon become degraded as the tapes have a life expectancy of 15-20 years, Nepszava daily said on Friday quoting historian Krisztian Ungvary.... [read complete entry]

November 04, 2008, 12:23 CET

Government discusses declassification of secret police files

Hungary's government this week will discuss a proposal to declassify communist-era secret police data, national daily Nepszabadsag reported on Tuesday.... [read complete entry]

October 09, 2008, 09:59 CET

Olympic champion accused of being a Kádár-era informer

Three-time Olympic water polo champion György Kárpáti was an informer in the Communist regime, the website Hírszerzõ claimed on Wednesday. Kárpáti denied the report and said he will take legal action.... [read complete entry]

September 25, 2008, 08:12 CET

Orbán's "Cuban roundtable" to meet, offer advice on transition from Communism

The first meeting of a roundtable which is to share experiences of political transformation in order to promote democratic change in Cuba will start on Thursday, said the spokesman of Hungary's main opposition party Fidesz.... [read complete entry]

August 22, 2008, 10:38 CET

Sólyom expresses regret over Hungary's role in 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia

"We have nothing to celebrate, we have something to be ashamed of," says Hungarian state president on 40th anniversary of Warsaw Pact occupation. [read complete entry]

August 14, 2008, 12:12 CET

Hungarian town's streets yet to experience system change

The Baranya County town of Szászvár holds the distinction of being the Hungarian locality with the most streets named after communist figures, writes stop.hu. Not in a rush to rename streets after system change in 1990, the town still features... [read complete entry]

August 12, 2008, 03:33 CET

Oh for the carefree days of 1986

While we're savoring the joys of Socialist-run Hungary circa 1996, we also see that Index.hu's Tegnapi újság ("yesterday's news") blog has unearthed an amazing bit of cyber-history dating from ten years before that. Back on August 11, 1986, the "international"... [read complete entry]

August 07, 2008, 10:37 CET

Worker's Party announces campaign to legalize hammer and sickle

Fresh from freeing the red star from censorship, Party Chairman Attila Vajnai is hoping to do the same for the former Soviet symbol. [read complete entry]

August 06, 2008, 01:25 CET

Youthful Socialist MP in savage e-mail assault on elderly former political prisoner

Speaking of name-calling in Hungarian politics, Socialist MP Zsolt Török (right) seems to have gone a bit overboard in a confrontational e-mail exchange with a retired Hungarian émigré who, just to make the whole thing that much more emotional, had... [read complete entry]

July 09, 2008, 08:18 CET

European court overturns Hungarian prohibition on "communist" star

Strasbourg decision leaves ban on swastika, arrow-cross. [read complete entry]

July 07, 2008, 09:54 CET

Communist Worker's Party remembers Kádár

Hundreds of people, most of them elderly, gathered to remember to the former communist leader. [read complete entry]

June 12, 2008, 10:00 CET

Workers' Party chairman protests red star fine

Attila Vajnai faces imprisonment for protesting his right to use forbidden symbol of tyranny. [read complete entry]

June 04, 2008, 10:16 CET

New book on 1989 border opening

Tells story of how tens of thousands of East Germans left for the West via Hungary and Austria. [read complete entry]

May 21, 2008, 02:17 CET

Poll shows majority of Hungarians feel life was better under communism

62% of the 1,000 people interviewed said they were happiest in the period preceding the change of regime, up from 53% in 2001. [read complete entry]

December 07, 2007, 09:36 CET

Communist nostalgia pub torched in Budapest

Csepel's red pub reported on earlier this week grew further in prominence and political significance when it was set on fire Tuesday night, reports right-leaning rolling news channel HírTV. Unknown fascists tossed Molotov cocktails into the building displaying communist memorabilia,... [read complete entry]

December 04, 2007, 11:30 CET

Opposition throws hissy fit over "communist" pub in Csepel

Oppositon parties Fidesz and KDNP are getting all upset over the recent opening of a pub in Csepel, Budapest's District XXI, which is decorated with communist symbols, left-wing daily Népszava reports. The notary of the district said that they had... [read complete entry]

December 03, 2007, 08:55 CET

Investigation into robbery of former Hungarian leader's grave ends

A police investigation into the theft of the former communist leader's bones is being closed after police failed to discover any suspects. [read complete entry]