Hungary to Publish Tens of Thousands of Communist-Era Security Files

Budapest’s Historical Archives of the State Security Services announced that it will open a searchable online database of roughly 50,000-60,000 Communist-era security records, identifying officers, informants, collaborators and recruitment targets. The rollout begins on Nov. 4, followed by a second release on Feb. 25 that will include about 9,000 extensive "B dossiers" detailing individual recruits. While some personal details such as health information and sexual orientation will be redacted, the archive expects high traffic and has moved the database to external servers.

Director-general Gergő Bendegúz Cseh noted that such comprehensive disclosures are unprecedented in post-dictatorship societies. The move fulfills a promise made by Prime Minister Péter Magyar after his party’s landslide victory, aiming to deepen democratic transparency that has been debated since Hungary’s 1990 transition.