communism

Hungarian President János Áder marks Victims of Communism memorial day

President János Áder and First Lady Anita Herczegh on Friday lit candles in front of the House of Terror Museum, marking the Victims of Communism memorial day and the 20th anniversary of the museum’s inauguration.

Áder told public media afterwards that freedom was to be cherished by all Hungarians, now and in the future.

The museum, which opened twenty years ago in the former headquarters of Hungary’s Communist state security office, has drawn 7 million visitors since, and has hosted countless exhibitions, conferences and other events, he noted. It is a memorial to the importance of freedom of nations and individuals, Áder said. “That message is especially important today, when a war is raging in a neighbouring country,” he said.

The House of Terror Museum is marking the anniversary and the memorial day with candles at its “Wall of Heroes”, and with exhibitions and a light show in the evening.

Read also: Civilian victims of Budapest WWII siege commemorated

At a commemoration in downtown Budapest, House Speaker László Kövér called Communism “a lethal ideology”, and said that attempts to implement it had always resulted in bloody dictatorships.

Victims of Communism memorial day 5 — Victims of the Communism – commemoration in the House of Terror, Budapest. Photo: MTI/Máthé Zoltán

“Even today, various mutations of the communist virus are spreading disease all over the Western world,” Kövér said at the event held at the memorial of national martyrs.

Modern proponents of communism aim to dismantle states, undo families and the middle class, and abolish private property, as did their predecessors in the 20th century, he said.

Read also: Hungary commemorates victims of the Holocaust

Kövér said Hungarians would remain Hungarians only if the state remained independent and could take effective action, if families continued to prosper, and “the fruits of the labour of Hungarians enriches mainly Hungarian public and private wealth”. He said the nation’s middle class “and its majority” must “protect our democratic order from political extremists allied to communists and fascists.”

Victims of Communism memorial day in Hungary — Victims of the Communism – commemoration in Kőszeg. Photo: MTI/Filep István

Speaking in Nyíregyháza, in eastern Hungary, the prime minster’s chief of staff said naming the perpetrators of communist terror, and revealing the truth, was key to “laying the demons of the 20th century to rest”.

The “butchers of the House of Terror” should be named publicly, Gergely Gulyás said, referring to the acts of torture committed at the Budapest headquarters of the Communist state security headquarters (AVH) which now houses the House of Terror Museum.

“They tried to break the backbone of the nation by trampling the dignity of individuals,” he said.

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February 26, 2022

Szekler anthem to become the latest Hungaricum?

The song was not written with the intent of creating a new anthem, yet it became a national symbol and the official anthem of Szeklerland. Hungarians in Transylvania often sing the song on special occasions such as New Year’s Eve when they gather together in front of the church at midnight.

After the first world war ended, Hungary had to sign the Treaty of Trianon, giving up a large chunk of its land that was acquired by the neighbouring countries. Hence, Hungarians became a minority group on their own land after borders were redefined. Szeklers are a group of Hungarians, living in Hargita and Kovászna counties in Transylvania region, Romania. It is important to know that not all Transylvanian Hungarians identify as Szeklers.

In 1921, Kálmán Mihalik composed the song, and György Csanádi wrote the lyrics for it. This song was not created with the intention to write a new anthem, but it later became the symbol of protest against repression.

In the beginning, the song was not known by many. There was a time when more people became aware of it and began to sing it in secret as it was banned. After Northern Transylvania was given back to Hungary, the song was taught in schools between 1941 and 1944. Later, Romania got back the land permanently. During the communist era, if someone was caught just listening to the song, they were sent to jail for three months. – eszm.ro wrote.

Here, you can listen to the song and read the lyrics in English:

Recently, the song has become a highlighted national value. The Hungaricum Committee decided to include the Szekler anthem on the list of Hungarian Treasury (Magyar Értéktár). Thus, the number of Transylvanian national treasures increased to six.

“In addition to the coat of arms and the flag, the Szekler anthem is now an indispensable symbol of our regional identity. Its origins and afterlife are also legendary, it survived regimes and fashions, and it became more and more of the symbol of the Szekler people’s desire to live.” – said Sándor Tamás, President of the Covasna County Council, who submitted the proposal. He added that the anthem is a national treasure and it should have a place among the Hungarikums as well. – hvg.hu wrote.

The song is not considered an official Hungaricum yet, but declaring it a Hungarian treasure, and claiming it a national value are important milestones. Other national values that originated from Transylvania are the Nagybánya Art Colony, the Statue of Liberty in Arad, the works of Károly Kós, the built heritage of Torockó and the Freedom of Religion Act.

January 25, 2022

Secret death camp in Hungary: this is what the memorial park will look like – PHOTOS

Hungary suffered a lot during the decades of Soviet Communist rule between 1945 and 1989. The country never voted for a dictatorship. Instead, it rejected living in one both in the 1945 and the 1947 general elections. However, nobody could stop the Communists backed by the army of the Soviet Union. And after coming into power, they executed or imprisoned everybody who they suspected of being against their rule.

Deportation for a house

Many democratic politicians of the short-lived Hungarian democratic attempt after WWII escaped. For example, Zoltán Pfeiffer, Dezső Sulyok, Zoltán Tildy or Margit Slachta left the country – just like artists, scientists, and thousands of Hungarians who did not want to be the slaves of the Communist party.

During the first and cruellest chapter of Communism in Hungary, the Rákosi era, the regime stated: those who were not with them were against them. As a result, everybody could find themselves in prison for even a joke about the dictator. Authorities deported thousands to Hortobágy. They claimed that those people were part of some resistance or counterrevolutionary group. However, many times these families were just members of the middle class. What is more,

in some cases, Communist leaders only needed their house or apartment.

Who suffered the most was probably those whom the authorities brought to the death camp of Recsk, Heves county. The Communists established it on July 19, 1950, following the pattern of the Soviet Gulag. They took there two thousand people between 1950 and 1953. Most of them were political prisoners condemned without a court verdict. They had to work hard all day and received very little food. Therefore, a lot of them died from starvation and diseases, Helló Magyar reported.

5 hidden treasures of the 148-year-old Budapest – PHOTOS

The camp was 1,600 metres long and 600 metres wide, protected by a double wire and

watchtowers packed with guards with machine guns.

According to kekesonline.hu, the prisoners had to sleep in wooden barracks both in the summer and in the winter.

Secret death camp in Hungary

The Communists kept the existence of the camp secret. Only two prisoners were able to escape from Recsk. One of them got into Czechoslovakia in August 1950, but he gave himself up after the police arrested his family members. In May 1951, a group of eight managed to get out. However, only Gyula Michnay made it to the West. He told his story on Radio Free Europe, revealed the existence of the camp, and shared 600 of his fellow prisoners’ names on the radio.

Many Hungarians learned from the broadcast that their father, brother or son was still alive in Recsk.

Imre Nagy closed the camp in September 1953, but all prisoners had to sign a document that they would never talk about the death camp.

This 97-year-old Hungarian Holocaust survivor is the oldest star of TikTok! – VIDEOS

32 years after the regime change, a memorial park is to be built where once the death camp stood. Ten design agencies submitted their plans, and the jury decided unanimously for the design by Egyheted Stúdió and ZDA-Zoboki Építésziroda. The planned inauguration of the memorial park will be in 2024 or 2025.

One of the most

famous prisoners at the Recsk camp was György Faludy (September 22, 1910, Budapest – September 1, 2006, Budapest),

sometimes anglicised as George Faludy, a poet, writer, and translator.

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December 4, 2021

Everything you need to know about the Soviet Monument on Budapest’s Freedom Square — PHOTOS

Freedom Square (Szabadság tér) is located in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, close to the Parliament. This space is also special because it is home to the Soviet Monument, which is very divisive in society. Some people think that the monument is a symbol of Soviet oppression, while others recall the liberation of Budapest from the German army at the sight of the monument.

The construction of the New Building began in 1786, in the area of today’s freedom space. The building, designed by architect Isidore Canevale, used to be a prison for captive French officers. It was later transformed into an artillery barracks and a military academy. On the southern side of the square was the Promenade. It was later renamed Széchenyi Promenade, as he initiated the forestation and landscaping of the area. Participants in the War of Independence of 1848-49 were also imprisoned in the New Building.

Lajos Batthyány, the first Hungarian prime minister, was executed here.

They then wanted to use the building as a printing press and orphanage, but this did not happen. It was demolished in 1897, and a square was created according to the plans of Antal Palóczy. In 1900, it was named Freedom Square. Here you can find the Hungarian National Bank, the Stock Exchange Palace, and the Hungarian Trade Hall.

In 1928, the Relic Country Flag was handed over and placed in the square. Due to the Second World War, Budapest was in ruins. At the time, there were almost 40,000 buildings in the Hungarian capital, of which 1,500 were destroyed, 9,100 were severely damaged, and 18,600 were damaged, writes budapest-ostroma.hu.

Almost all of the German and Hungarian soldiers defending the capital died or were taken prisoner of war.

Budapest history red army — Photo: Fortepan/Vörös Hadsereg

The Soviets also lost 95,000 soldiers during the siege of Budapest. However, soldiers from the liberating Red Army committed a number of rapes. Plenty of civilians were taken to forced labour. After the Second World War, instead of rebuilding the capital, strengthening ideology came to the fore. As a result of this, many monuments have appeared, for example, the Soviet heroic monument in Szabadság Square, writes hellomagyar.hu.

One of the most important elements of the monument is the five-pointed star at the top. “Glory to the liberating Soviet heroes” can be read in Hungarian and Russian Cyrillic letters. During the 1956 revolution, the monument was mutilated, but it was restored immediately after the revolution.

The monument has caused a divide in society since the regime change.

Several have suggested that it could be taken to a less central location at least. However, in order to maintain a good Hungarian-Russian relationship, this is not feasible. Some are reminded of the liberation from the German army and the end of World War II at the sight of the monument. Most, however, associate it with the 40-year Soviet occupation.

September 21, 2021

Communist-persecuted Hungarian artist’s exhibition opened in London

An exhibition entitled Disciples of Dóra Maurer has opened to the public in London, according to a government statement on Friday.

During Hungary’s communist rule, Maurer, born in 1937, was a key figure among artists, poets and musicians working outside of the regime who showed their works in apartments and published in underground journals.

The exhibition first shown to the press in the Hungarian Embassy in London on June 29 is now open to the public at the Dávid Kováts Pop-up Gallery in Covent Garden

until September 19.

MMA opens three exhibitions for International Eucharistic Congress

Hinton Magazine said the show provided a clear and comprehensive picture of Hungarian contemporary art. The artists on show include Mária Chilf, Márton Cserny, Barbara Nagy, Zoltán Szegedy-Maszák and András Wolsky.

Two years ago Maurer’s solo exhibition opened at the Tate Modern with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the statement noted.

The current exhibition showcases Maurer as a teacher who “inspired contemporary Hungarian art”,

it added.

Art Market Budapest and Dávid Kováts’s gallery made a big impact in London since last year, Máté Vincze, the head of Hungary’s Cultural Institute in London said in the statement.

Exhibition on 120 Years of Hungarian Cinema opens in Budapest

August 13, 2021

Hungarian state purchases Batthyany family documents

The Hungarian state has purchased a collection of 520 documents pertaining to the aristocratic Hungarian Batthyány family, stored for the past 75 years in Vienna, for 5.6 million euros, an official of the Prime Minister’s Office said on Monday.

The documents are destined for the National Archives which already keeps materials related to the Batthyány family, such as the documents related to the ill-fated 1526 Battle of Mohács, state secretary Balázs Orbán told a press conference.

When to forced to leave Communist Hungary in 1945, the family took several hundred documents with them.

The archives’ director, Csaba Szabó, told the event that

the collection which arrived in Budapest two weeks ago was “unique” and of great significance in terms of Hungarian history.

György Rácz, chief archivist, noted that members of the Batthyany family had filled important government positions over several centuries.

The documents will be digitised and available for research purposes.

Read alsoPfizer’s Karikó was not sent to America by the Communist Party – historian says

August 2, 2021

Pfizer’s Karikó was not sent to America by the Communist Party – historian says

Katalin Karikó, the Hungarian researcher involved in the development of the Pfizer vaccine, recently clarified that she was indeed recruited by socialist state security in 1978 but never reported anyone. The question remains: is her departure to America related to her recruitment?

As we previously wrote, the document regarding Katalin Karikó’s past actions ruffled some feathers in these last couple of days.

Lieutenant Colonel László Bálint has featured Karikó in his book People of the Network Register. Register of the State Defense and State Security Network in Szeged and Csongrád Counties, 1945 – 1990, published in 2017, as she was recruited on a patriotic basis in 1978 under the pseudonym “Zsolt Lengyel” into the department III / II (Anti-Spy) of the Ministry of the Interior, as a secret agent.

“There is no trace of the records being excluded from the network or the filing of the dossier, from which it can be inferred that she was employed until 1990. […] Another document shows that she has been on leave since 1985,”
the book reads.

The research biologist and biochemist living in the United States since 1985 responded to Telex’s request. In her statement, she acknowledged that she had been recruited, put under “forced election,” blackmailed by her father’s 1956 revolutionary past, and threatened to make her professional work impossible.

“In the years that followed, I did not give any written reports, I did not harm anyone. In order to continue my scientific activity and research, I had to leave.”
– She stressed.

Karikó was registered as an anti-spy according to her Card 6. “This meant that reports of foreign intrusion attempts, such as in response to industrial espionage, were expected of her,” Telex writes. However, Gergő Bendegúz Cseh, Director General of the Historical Archives of the State Security Services (ÁBTL), confirmed to Válasz Online: the existence of Card 6 “alone does not reveal anything about what kind of activity the person did”.

There is no reason to question what Katalin Karikó said about her not reporting to anyone in writing, as the record does not include the number of the so-called work file in which the reports of the agents were collected. “To the best of our knowledge, Katalin Karikó has no work file at all,” the director-general said.

Euronews asked Krisztián Ungváry, one of the best-known Hungarian researchers of former state security documents, about the case, who confirmed: Karikó’s answer is one of the rare cases when the person concerned gives a normal response to the questions raised, she does not lie about her past.

Not only is what she said undeniable, but it’s hard to imagine anything other than that being the truth
– emphasised the historian to Euronews, who at the same time pointed out that Kariko only refused to make written reports, which does not mean that she did not report orally.

However, this raises an interesting question. According to the entry of the Small State Security Reading Book (Magvető, 1996), “resting a network person” means “periodically pausing” regular contact. “Minimum period of rest: half a year, the upper limit may be longer than two years only in justified cases.” According to Bálint Karikó, she was “employed until 1990”.

If she had been expelled for spying, she would have had to be handed over to intelligence, which in turn would have had to be transferred to Card 6. Failure to do so would have been a serious violation of the Staff Regulations, “Krisztián Ungváry emphasized on Euronews’ question.

According to the historian, Kariko was not excluded from the network, but was inactivated, “doing nothing” during her stay abroad.

“The document clearly proves that it was not the counter-espionage that sent Katalin Karikó to America.”
– he says.

Read alsoPfizer’s Karikó was recruited as an agent in 1978 by the Socialist party

May 25, 2021

Pfizer’s Karikó was recruited as an agent in 1978 by the Socialist party

An unexpected accusation against Katalin Karikó, a potential winner of the Nobel Prize, came to light: the recruitment data of the Hungarian biologist who played a key role in the development of the Pfizer vaccine is circulating on the internet. Based on the photographs, Katalin Karikó was recruited as an agent in 1978 by the Socialist party.

The document comes from a book published in 2017 by László Bálint, a former operational officer in counter-espionage, in which the former detention officer lists the Csongrád County agents recruited during the Socialist period. The data was also published by Kurucinfó on Thursday night.

According to her State Security Card 6, Katalin Karikó, who left for America in 1985, was recruited in 1978. The Szolnok-born biologist was a recent graduate student and began her doctoral studies at the Szeged Biological Research Centre that year. Based on the information on her recruitment card, she then became a subordinate of Counter-Intelligence Class III / II with a classified trustee rating. Her pseudonym is also known: Katalin Karikó was listed in the state security register as “Zsolt Lengyel”.

However, based on this much information, it cannot be stated that Katalin Karikó would have been an employed agent of state security and an active member of the network. According to Hungarian law, this would require much more: reports by the agent, preferably in their own handwriting. However, no report from Katalin Karikó can be found in the files of ÁBTL. In the academic field and in universities, it was common for only a portion of state security records to be transferred, but it is not uncommon for a person to make a report, sabotage, or refuse to cooperate with state security after signing an enforced recruitment statement.

Telex contacted Kariko, who was inaugurated as an honorary citizen of Szeged on Friday, and she gave the following statement to the paper:

It is a fact that in 1978, when I started working as a research assistant, I was visited and forced to make a choice. Referring to my father’s involvement in the 1956 revolution, referring to his “sinful” past, I was threatened with making my professional work impossible.
I knew that my father had been sentenced to a suspended prison sentence in 1957, dismissed from his job, not given a job for 4 years. I knew how the system worked, I was afraid, so I signed the recruitment document.
In the years that followed, I did not give any written report, I did not harm anyone. In order to continue my scientific activity and research, I had to leave.
I have been carrying out my research for the last 36 years in order to heal people. No one could ever again break me or disorient me from my goals.
I consider the case closed with this statement.

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May 24, 2021

Ethnic Hungarian politician János Esterházy commemorated on birth anniversary

János Esterházy, a leader of Slovakia’s ethnic Hungarian community between the two world wars, was “a martyr who fought against both Nazism and communism and gave his life for his faith”, the head of parliament’s foreign affairs committee said on Sunday, marking Esterházy’s 120th birth anniversary.

Addressing a commemoration event of the Rakoczi Association, Zsolt Nemeth said in a video message that Esterházy had been “a friend of the Poles”, committed to cooperation among the Visegrad countries, and “a standout fighter for human rights”.

Németh highlighted Esterházy’s role in Hungary’s admission of Polish refugees during the second world war, along with his commitment to the representation of Christian ethics in politics.

In Warsaw, suffragan bishop Michal Janocha celebrated holy mass in Esterházy’s honour, for his beatification and peace and cooperation among central European nations. The mass was attended by Zsuzsanna Orsolya Kovacs, Hungary’s ambassador to Poland, and other dignitaries.

Ahead of the mass, the officials laid wreaths at Esterházy’s memorial in Warsaw.

Count Esterházy (1901-1957), the sole Hungarian deputy in the Slovak Parliament before 1945, was a firm advocate of the ethnic Hungarian community, raising his voice against any violation of minority rights and against discrimination.

Czechoslovak authorities arrested him in 1945 under the charge of war crimes, and turned him over to the Soviet military authorities. In 1947 he was sentenced to 10 years of forced labour in Moscow and handed a death sentence in absentia in Bratislava/Pozsony on trumped-up charges. Two years later, the Soviet Union extradited the ailing Esterházy to Czechoslovakia, where the president commuted the death sentence to life imprisonment.

The count died in a prison in Mirov in March 1957.

His ashes were identified in 2007 in Prague’s Motol cemetery.

Commission preparing beatification of János Esterházy sworn in

Read alsoHungarian author Péter Esterházy dies aged 66 – UPDATE

March 15, 2021

Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader, marks 90th birthday on Zoom

Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader, was set to throw a Zoom party in quarantine to celebrate his 90th birthday on Tuesday, as President Vladimir Putin hailed him as an “outstanding statesman” who influenced the course of history.

Gorbachev, who championed arms control and democracy-oriented reforms as Soviet leader in the 1980s, is widely credited with helping end the Cold War.

His critics in Russia blame him for what they regard as the unnecessary and painful breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Gorbachev has been in quarantine in hospital for months as a precaution during the coronavirus pandemic, and will host a virtual party with close friends and staff from his foundation, Gorbachev’s spokesman Vladimir Polyakov said.

“We’ll raise our glasses,” he said. “We’ll gather here and he’ll be there and we’ll see each other and make toasts.”

Polyakov said messages of congratulations had rolled in from world leaders, including British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, U.S. President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Putin, who has lamented the Soviet breakup, sent Gorbachev a congratulatory telegram, which was published on the Kremlin website.

“You rightfully belong to the galaxy of bright, extraordinary people, outstanding statesmen of our time who have had a significant influence on the course of domestic and world history,” said Putin.

Gorbachev’s legacy has been partially unpicked in recent years as Moscow and Washington’s ties retreated to post-Cold War lows, a process that sped the demise of a treaty that banned the two nations from deploying land-based ballistic missiles with certain ranges.

Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and rows over sanctions, alleged political meddling, and geopolitics have further soured U.S.-Russia ties.

Gorbachev has warned against a return to the Cold War and urged Moscow and Washington to keep talking to each other, regardless of their differences.

Latvia’s Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics tweeted that Latvians were grateful to Gorbachev.

“His perestroika and (glasnost reforms) were intended to save the Soviet Union, instead they sped up the collapse of the Communist empire paving the way to freedom for millions,” he wrote.

At a play about his life staged in Moscow last month, many spectators spoke highly of Gorbachev.

“He is a man of his age. He changed our country. He is a daring man,” said Jamila Iskandera.

But on Moscow’s streets, many took a harsher view.

“He’s a windbag … He was not prepared to guide such a big and great state,” said Vyacheslav Sokolov.

“I was born in the Soviet Union, and I think it was a big mistake to ruin the Soviet Union,” said Irina Baychenko, another Muscovite.

The most intriguing legends around the 1956 revolution in Hungary

1945 fortepan_soviet army budapest communism

Read alsoBudapest to become the first European city to commemorate women raped in war times

March 2, 2021

Hungarian politicians mark day of communism victims

“Suffering caused by communism and heroic defiance against dictatorship is a part of our national identity,” Gergely Gulyás, the head of the Prime Minister’s Office, said marking Hungary’s day of the victims of communist dictatorships in a video posted on Facebook on Thursday.

Gulyás said the February 25 memorial day was an occasion to pay tribute to hundreds of thousands of Hungarians and “over 100 million people murdered in communist regimes worldwide”.

“Today’s free Hungary is thanks to their heroism, their sacrifice,” he added.

“There cannot be a compromise with those seeking excuses for the crimes of communism and the perpetrators of those crimes,” he said, adding that “there will be no compromise with those constantly worried about freedom, even though they used to be collaborators in a dictatorship of mass murderers”.

Justice Minister Judit Varga also marked the memorial day of the victims of communism.

In a bilingual Facebook post, Varga hailed those who had suffered under communist dictatorship as Hungarians who “built our current independence and freedom through personal sacrifice”.

“We remember them, the victims of communism!” she added.

Hungary’s parliament declared February 25 the memorial day of the victims of communist dictatorships in 2000, to commemorate Béla Kovács, head of the Independent Smallholders’ Party, who was arrested on that day in 1947 and later deported to the Soviet Union.

Budapest mayor pays tribute to victims of communism

Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony on Thursday marked the memorial day of the victims of communism, paying tribute to those who had suffered or died under communist dictatorships.

“The murderous dictatorship took away the lives of millions, including my great-grandfather,” Karácsony said on Facebook.

“My great-grandparents were sentenced to forced labour from where my great-grandfather never returned.”

On February 25, Hungary pays tribute to him and other victims who lost their lives to a regime built on fear and hate, the mayor added.

“The only way to prevent the past from repeating itself is by making our pain stemming from the past all of our shared pain,” Karácsony said.

Read alsoCommunism’s grand massacre of civilians: from 1956 in Hungary through 1990 in Azerbaijan

February 25, 2021

Communism’s grand massacre of civilians: from 1956 in Hungary through 1990 in Azerbaijan

Today, the Republic of Azerbaijan is marking the 31st anniversary of the most heinous massacres committed against its people by the Soviet troops. The mass killing of more than 130 civilians in the city of Baku three decades ago became the grand event, which cracked the foundations of the adversary – the Soviet regime. At the end of 1980s, the Azerbaijani people who always looked to the West and desired to break free from communism, protested against Moscow’s unjust policies against Azerbaijan.

To crush the voices of Azerbaijan and suppress the emerging Western values of democracy, on the night of January 19-20, 1990, Azerbaijan was invaded by 26,000 Soviet troops. After blowing up the national television transmission block and imposing an immediate informational blockade on the entire republic, the Red Army units rolled its tanks through the streets of Azerbaijan’s capital Baku indiscriminately firing at everything that moved. Determined to crush the popular protests against the Kremlin’s oppression at any cost, Gorbachev imposed an emergency rule over Baku after the massacre already took place. By the morning hours of January 20, more than hundred civilians lay dead on the streets of the city, and more would be killed in the following days. Official count puts the death toll at 140 civilians killed, with over 700 wounded. The images of streets full of massacred civilians were reminiscent of the Red Army’s crimes perpetrated against civilians in Budapest in 1956 and Prague in 1968.

In a report titled “Black January in Azerbaijan”, Human Rights Watch stated that “the violence used by the Soviet Army on the night of January 19-20 was so out of proportion to the resistance offered by Azerbaijanis as to constitute an exercise in collective punishment.

The punishment inflicted on Baku by Soviet soldiers may have been intended as a warning to nationalists, not only in Azerbaijan, but in the other Republics of the Soviet Union.”

The investigation revealed that in their pursuit for higher casualties, the Red Army used the infamous 5.45 mm caliber bullets with the shifted center of gravity, which upon entering a body – unlike conventional bullets – travel in sporadic movements spiraling through the organs causing excessive pain and internal bleeding, thus increasing chances of death.

The Soviet attack against innocent civilians in Azerbaijan followed massacres in other Soviet republics, including Kazakhstan in 1986 and Georgia in 1989 and was tragically replicated one year later in Lithuania, although the brutality of the “Black January” tragedy was the biggest exercise in collective punishment by reactionary forces of Moscow. Similar crimes were committed abroad, during the invasion of Hungary in 1956, Czechoslovakia in 1968, Afghanistan in 1979.

These tragic events known to the world as the “Black January” marked the beginning of the end of the Soviet rule in Azerbaijan, and eventually caused cracks in the foundations of the Soviet statehood. Thirty years later, there is no sign of “Black January” declining in significance. Millions of Azerbaijanis and friends of Azerbaijan visit Martyrs’ Alley in the capital city Baku on January 20 to pay tribute to the memory of the victims who laid their lives for the country’s independence.

Azerbaijanis all over the world commemorate the tragedy and its victims with a minute of silence, just like they do every year on October 23 commemorating all the martyrs of the Hungarian 1956 revolution.

The blood was not shed in vain. Today both Azerbaijan and Hungary are the independent states. And our peoples know the price of freedom.

The most intriguing legends around the 1956 revolution in Hungary

Read alsoBudapest to become the first European city to commemorate women raped in war times

January 20, 2021

Hungary to contribute USD 10 m to Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation

Hungary will contribute 10 million dollars to help the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation (VOC) build a museum and a research centre in Washington, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Facebook on Sunday.

The VOC is a non-profit anti-communist organisation in the United States, set up by the US Congress 27 years ago.

Szijjártó said the government signed an agreement earlier this week on the contribution to the foundation. The community of Polish and Hungarian historical memory is demonstrated by the fact that the Polish government also offered a significant amount, he added.

The minister said he considers international political efforts aimed at “relativising the crimes of communism” and “defending” representatives of the communist ideology “disappointing”.

Communist dictatorships have killed, maimed or ruined tens of millions of people, Szijjártó said. These crimes must not be forgotten or forgiven, he said, stressing that it was important for posterity to know the “true face” of communism and set up a worthy memorial for the victims.

“We, Hungarians, the people of freedom, consider it important to contribute to a place in the land of freedom that constantly reminds everyone that communist regimes are responsible for the deaths of tens of millions of people worldwide,” the minister said.

Read alsoHungary to contribute USD 10 m to Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation

November 29, 2020

Budapest to become the first European city to commemorate women raped in war times

No official history book mentions women who were collectively raped during wars; they do not even have a memorial monument in Europe. The past years have brought some changes and shed some light on the issue, but still, there are many disputes, and the whole subject itself is viewed from two very opposing points of view, which does not help victims at all, but bring them more pain and suffering. A project for their commemoration initiated in Budapest together with a commemorating exhibition planned for 2023 have the intention to bring a significant change.

More than 70 years after the incidents and a little after the author s death, the diaries of Fanni Gyarmati, the wife of one of the most well-known Hungarian poets were published. It contains a very long and detailed report on sexual assault and the behaviour of Soviet soldiers who were stationed in Hungary after World War II. Her work is unique not only on a national but on an international level as well- writes Qubit.hu.

Sexual assault committed during wars is one of the most taboo issues of modern history. Silence has been started to be broken only the last one or two decades when a mass of women began to stand up and talk about their stories thus illuminating the issue and making it a public interest and subject of research.

Meanwhile, the world is full of huge memorials and commemorating statues of men (almost every Hungarian city and small town have one), those commemorating women raped in war times are not only very scarce, but it does not exist in Europe.

Without the international feminist movement, we would know even less about sexual assault during war times. The movement created a kind of language to talk about these incidents and for survivors to tell their stories and memories. It is thanks to feminist movements that today, sexual assault is recognised as a crime against humanity. Andrea Pető, a historian, scholar of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and professor of the Central European University, told Qubit that women are forced to mobilise themselves when national institutions ignore or betray them, such as in these outrageous cases.

Peto Andrea - Budapest Fovaros Leveltara — *Presentation of Andrea Pető – Budapest City Archives*

Last summer the Council of Budapest unanimously decided to organise a series of presentations, a project for a communal collection of financial resources, the set-up of a thematic webpage, expositions, an international conference and later the installation of a public monument to commemorate this under-researched topic. They try to mobilise as many civilians as possible to set-up the concept of the memorial, for which they are sacrificing a two and a half year-long period. In September an educational series of presentations was launched, the episodes can be found on the YouTube page of the Budapest City Archives, who also organises the collection of memories of any sort, whether pictures, texts or objects. The director, István Kenyeres said that one of the most important parts of the project is the collection they will build for which they are expecting personal memories as well, even those that were passed from person to person or even from generation to generation since there is less and less chance to tell the stories of those who were not only witnesses but the actual victims.

Art historian József Mélyi at the beginning of the project said that in the case of monuments in public spaces right after their inauguration “they are covered in a coat of impregnation against attention” as we get used to them, and thus they become transparent for the everyday pedestrian.

The so-called anti-monuments, representatives of the modern memorial culture, encourage people to more active participation. The capital s objective is precisely this, a monument chosen by international competition in a global context to commemorate those women who were forced to suffer sexual assault. According to plans, the competition will invite entries starting from next summer, it will be judged by October, and the public monument will be set up toward the beginning of 2023 for the 150^th jubilee of Budapest.

Read alsoHappy 147th Birthday to Budapest!

Read also10 interesting facts about the Matthias Church, the jewel of Budapest

November 20, 2020

Today: Hungary marks 1956 anniversary, national day of mourning – PHOTOS

Hungary’s national flag in front of Parliament was hoisted and then lowered to half-mast with military honours on Wednesday to mark the anniversary of November 4, 1956, when the anti-Soviet uprising was crushed.

The ceremony, marking a national day of mourning, was attended by Tibor Benkő, the defence minister, and Ferenc Korom, commander of the armed forces.

Today Hungary marks 1956 anniversary, national day of mourning flag — Kossuth Square, Budapest, Hungary. Hungary marks 1956 anniversary, national day of mourning. Photo: MTI

Hungarian President János Áder lay flowers of commemoration at the tomb of Hungary’s martyred PM Imre Nagy in eastern Budapest’s Rákoskeresztúr cemetery.

The public has been invited to light candles of commemoration at the House of Terror Museum during the day and in front of St. Stephen’s Basilica in the evening.

What do Hungarians celebrate on 23 October? – VIDEO

Read alsoThis is what happened on November 4, putting an end to the 1956 revolution

November 4, 2020

George Bush monument inaugurated in Budapest – VIDEO, Photos – UPDATE

George Bush monument inaugrated in Budapest, Hungary

“Hungarians have always regarded the United States a home of freedom,” Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Tuesday, at the inauguration of a statue of George Herbert Walker Bush, the 41st president of the United States, in Budapest’s Szabadság Square.

In his address, Orbán noted that 19th century Hungarian statesman Lajos Kossuth had been given “a heartfelt welcome” in the US. He also said that the US embassy, located in the square, had given shelter to Catholic Cardinal József Mindszenty for 15 years after 1956.

Referring to two memorials in the square, one of German and the other of Soviet occupation, Orbán said that “they send the message that if you are Hungarian, you only have two options: either side with an occupying force or support freedom”.

“And today, we are here to honour with this statue our friend, George Herbert Walker Bush,”

Orbán said, noting that it was erected next to a statue of President Ronald Reagan, who were “two men from America starting a fight against communism in the world”.

Orbán noted that during his visit to Budapest in July 1989, President Bush had expressed support for the democratic youth’s request “to free Hungary from Yalta” since the freedom and independence of central Europe had also been the president’s dream.

“What we wanted was not to move closer to, but become part of, the free world,” the prime minister said.

Addressing the unveiling ceremony, David B. Cornstein, the outgoing US ambassador, said the statue is a symbol of US-Hungarian relationship and optimism for the future.

“The desire for freedom had never left the Hungarian people, and the collapse of communism in 1989 brought a new dawn to the hopes of freedom-loving people here and everywhere. President Bush’s visit to Hungary in July 1989 was a symbol of that hope,” the ambassador said.

He said President Bush had dedicated his life to address freedom around the world and help lifting people up.

“A modest man with extraordinary vision and compassion, President Bush helped the people of Central and Eastern Europe to free themselves from communist rule,” he said.

The ceremony was attended by representatives of the Bush family and foundation, former New York State governor George Pataki and former US Ambassador April H. Foley.

Gergely Gulyás, the head of the Hungarian Prime Minister’s Office, and Ambassador Cornstein announced in early September the placement of the Bush statue in Szabadsag Square to mark the 30th anniversary of the fall of communist rule in central and eastern Europe.

October 27, 2020

The most intriguing legends around the 1956 revolution in Hungary

Suez Crisis revolution of 1956 North Korean

Was there a secret underground prison in Budapest? Did a small Hungarian village really declare its independence? What happened to the man who won the pools on the day of the Revolution? Here are some of the most popular legends as collected by Promotions.

The secret prisons under the capital

Probably the most-talked-about legend of the ’56 events was that the government had secret underground prisons where revolutionaries were detained. The prisons were believed to be under what is II. János Pál pápa Square today.

The reason people were inclined to believe this is that the square (called Köztársaság or Republic Square at the time) was home to the building that housed the Hungarian Working People’s Party, “which had become a symbol of terror in the post-WWII era”. The fact that construction works for M2 metro line were taking place in the vicinity did not help matters, either.

The village that declared its independence

Kesztölc is a small village in Komárom-Esztergom County in northern Hungary, with a little more than 2,000 inhabitants today. Legend has it that in 1956, the village had its own uprising against the Communist regime:

with a tank set up just outside the village (some believed it was acquired from the Soviet troops in exchange for some pálinka), the villagers declared the independence of the Republic of Kesztölc.

As Promotions writes, even though the locals did express their discontent a couple of times (the establishment of collective farms, for example, brought difficult times to many families), today we know that the “revolution” was probably nothing more than government propaganda to paint a ridiculous picture of the villagers.

Whether true or false, the story continues to enrich the lives of Kesztölc’s inhabitants today. It has become a very important pillar of community spirit; a few years ago, they even commemorated the events by building a tank with straw bales.

kesztölc-hungary-revolution — The village of Kesztölc today
Photo: www.facebook.com/Kesztölc-Község-Önkormányzata-111683473810754

The mysterious pools winner

This story, which has since been adapted to a novel and a movie, is about a certain Béla R., who was lucky to win the pools jackpot, but not so lucky in that he was supposed to pick up his prize on the day of the revolution.

According to the novel (which also has fictional elements in it), to protect his money (around EUR 1,780), Béla took it “to a place where everyone could see it”, and so it was guarded at a local tavern. Then, during the revolution, the place was destroyed by a Soviet tank, and the family disappeared, too.

There have been several attempts to find the family and discover what happened to the money. Even though Urban Legends did manage to get in touch with the son of the pools winner, he would not disclose any information. What we know today is that Béla R. died in 1994, four years after the change of regime.

Read alsoOctober 23 – Hungarian parties, leaders commemorate the 1956 revolution – PHOTOS

October 24, 2020

V-Day celebration: Putin says Russia ready to create global security system

ceremony celebrating the 75th anniversary of the victory of the 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War in Moscow's Red Square

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday praised Soviet contributions in World War II, as the country marked the Soviet victory against the Nazis.

“After defending their own land, the Soviet people continued to fight and liberate the states of Europe from invaders,” Putin said in a speech at a ceremony celebrating the 75th anniversary of the victory of the 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War in Moscow’s Red Square.

The Russian leader led a minute of silence to commemorate the numerous Soviet soldiers who fell during the war fighting and defeating the Nazis.

Russia will protect and defend the fair truth of the Great Patriotic War, an integral part of World War II, according to Putin, adding that the country will never forget the contributions of the Soviet Union’s allies from the anti-Nazi coalition and their courageous fighters, he added.

Russia is open for dialogue and cooperation on the most burning issues, including creating a common reliable system of security, which the complex and rapidly-changing world needs, Putin said in his speech.

“We understand how important it is to strengthen friendship and confidence among peoples … Only by uniting together can we protect the world from new dangerous threats,” he noted.

Before Putin’s speech, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in a black open-top limousine reviewed the troops lined up at Red Square, greeting them and wishing them a happy Victory Day. The troops in full dress chanted “Hooray!” in reply.

Putin’s speech was followed by a military parade involving about 14,000 soldiers and more than 200 units of military hardware, including the legendary T-34 tanks used by the Red Army, as well as modern tanks and missile systems.

Troops from 13 foreign countries, including China, also marched across Red Square.
The parade culminated with an air show featuring 75 warplanes and helicopters, including strategic bombers and the latest fighter jets.

The air show ended with six attack aircraft painting the sky over Red Square in the three colors of the Russian national flag.

More than 2,000 guests, including a number of foreign leaders, attended the celebrations in Red Square.

After the parade, Putin and foreign leaders laid flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Alexander Garden near the Kremlin wall.

Military parades of various scales were also held in 27 other Russian cities on Wednesday, as well as at the Hmeymim air base in Syria.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Russia postponed the annual Victory Day parade from the traditional date of May 9 for the first time since 1995 when the day was declared a national holiday.

The Soviet Union held a historic parade in Red Square on June 24, 1945, marking the victory of the Great Patriotic War, which claimed about 27 million lives of people of the Soviet Union, according to official statistics.

Our plan is to have a Hungarian research astronaut in the Russian team, says FM Szijjártó in Moscow

June 24, 2020