Viktor Orbán said that Hungary’s communist secret services had tried to recruit him as an informant during his compulsory military service, but he had refused to cooperate. The former Hungarian prime minister published documents from 1982 and the late 1980s to support his claims.
“At the beginning of my military service, they tried to recruit me, but I refused, so the attempt was unsuccessful,” Orbán wrote.According to him, after his refusal, he, his wife and his fellow dissidents were placed under constant surveillance. Orbán said that the secret party apparatus had conducted an investigation against them.
“Later, my wife, my fellow dissidents and I were placed under constant surveillance. We were all investigated by the secret party apparatus,” he said.Surveillance documents
Orbán claims that informants were planted among the dissidents, while listening devices were installed at their workplaces, in their homes and even in their bedrooms.
His statement comes as Hungary prepares to begin the public declassification of thousands of police files from the socialist era. The archives are to be published in an online database that will allow citizens to examine lists of informants and agents of the former state security services.
Until now, access has been restricted. Ordinary citizens could request information only about their own files and those of close relatives. Once the archives are published, access to the documents will be expanded to everyone.
The government’s promise
The public opening of the archives is one of the promises made by Prime Minister Péter Magyar. According to Reuters, the aim is to give Hungarians the opportunity to confront the country’s totalitarian past.
Communist rule in Hungary ended in 1989, but the files were not fully declassified due to a lack of political will on the part of successive governments.
The records for the period from 1956 to 1989 list at least 55,000 collaborators of the secret services. The declassification will take place after the end of Orbán’s 16-year rule, which was ended by Péter Magyar’s TISZA party in the parliamentary elections in April.
Sources: bta.bg, d2233.cms.socastsrm.com