Péter Magyar will publish, on November 4, the secret police files from the communist era: “Without confronting the past, there can be no genuine political change”

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar announced that, on November 4, the government will make public the communist-era secret police documents, as part of a commitment made by the TISZA party. The files will be available online through a searchable database.

According to estimates, the documents contain approximately 50,000–60,000 names. Users will be able to search for information about security service officers, informants, or people targeted for recruitment, using their name, date or place of birth, mother’s name, code name, or the type and number of the document.

Magyar said that publishing the archives is one of his party’s main promises and that confronting the past is necessary for genuine political change. Access to these documents has so far been permitted only to close relatives of the people mentioned and to researchers.

Some information will be anonymized to protect sensitive personal data, including medical information and details concerning private life. A second phase is scheduled for February 25, 2027, when approximately 9,000 “B files” are expected to be published. These files may run to hundreds of pages and contain details about people who were recruited or targeted for recruitment.