Hungary opens communist-era secret police records, naming 60,000 recruits

Hungary has opened communist-era secret police records to the public, fulfilling a pledge by Prime Minister Péter Magyar. The government says disclosure can help society confront the trauma of decades of communist rule, while critics warn that incomplete files could unfairly damage reputations and cause distress to families.

The first release names about 60,000 people recruited by the secret services, with records giving details such as their aliases, addresses, recruitment motives and handlers. More detailed recruitment files are due on 25 February; historians estimate that 150,000 to 160,000 people were recruited between 1944 and 1990, many under pressure or threat. The release date, 4 November, marks the anniversary of Soviet forces crushing Hungary’s 1956 revolution.