Hungary releases secret police files from communist era

Culture Minister Zoltán Tarr said he hoped the publishing of the files would “enable a long-term reconciliation by revealing the secrets of the past.” His father is mentioned in the files but received official confirmation that he was never an agent.

Viktor Orbán was rumored to be a member of the secret police, but the former prime minister said in a Facebook statement Tuesday that he had refused any cooperation when he was approached at the beginning of his mandatory military service. Orbán instead protested that he, his wife and colleagues were “under constant surveillance” and were “targets of the state party’s secret investigations.”

More files are being digitized and will be made available by Feb. 25 next year, detailing the network’s recruitment process.

Júlia Vadler contributed to reporting.