World News

Hungary releases communist-era secret police files with some 60,000 names

Deutsche Welle reports the searchable database makes public some 60,000 names, with a second batch of files expected by February.

Published Nov 4, 2026 · 17:44 UTC3 reports

The short version

Hungary released communist-era secret police records to the public on Wednesday, according to Deutsche Welle.[Deutsche Welle]
Peter Magyar said some 60,000 names were made public in the new online database.[Deutsche Welle]
State security archives estimate about 150,000 informants were recruited, but records for about two-thirds no longer exist.[Deutsche Welle]
A second batch of files is expected by February, and Orban said he refused a recruitment attempt during his military service.[Deutsche Welle]

Hungary released communist-era secret police records to the public on Wednesday.[Deutsche Welle]
Peter Magyar stated that some 60,000 names were made public in the new online database.[Deutsche Welle]
A second batch of files is expected to be made available by February.[Deutsche Welle]
According to estimates from the state security archives, authorities recruited some 150,000 informants, although records for about two-thirds of them no longer exist.[Deutsche Welle]
Orban said he refused a communist-era recruitment attempt by secret services during his military service.[Deutsche Welle]

Based on Deutsche Welle's reporting, it is not established whether all 60,000 published names belong to informants.[Deutsche Welle]
Orban's account of refusing recruitment is his own statement and is not independently verified in the provided reporting.[Deutsche Welle]
Coverage rests on a single outlet, Deutsche Welle, and the released records were not independently reviewed in the provided reporting.[Deutsche Welle]

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.