Public search begins for tens of thousands of state security informants
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Hungary has officially opened its communist-era secret police files, allowing the public to access tens of thousands of names of state security network informants. Prime Minister Péter Magyar held a press conference at the state security archives, emphasizing the nation's confrontation with its past. Many families are expected to be affected by the revelations, which include names of ordinary citizens such as pub owners, bus drivers, and farmers.
The move towards transparency has immediately brought forth personal revelations, with Kossuth Prize-winning photographer Péter Korniss publicly admitting his past as a state security collaborator under the alias 'Pál'. Historian Krisztián Ungváry has also weighed in on the implications of the file releases, particularly concerning allegations related to former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
Other domestic news includes criticism surrounding district director appointments in education and details emerging about expedited visas and rental homes for thousands of Asian workers. The week also saw personnel changes, including the election of a new chief prosecutor and the dismissal of Botond Feledy, Director General of the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs.