Identity Statement

Reference Code

HU OSA 408-1-10

Title

Files on Victims of Executions and Prison Torture

Date(s)

1947 - 1954

Description Level

Series

Extent and medium (processed)

1 Archival boxes, 0.12 linear meters

Context

Archival history

Original documents of executions are in Historical Archives of the Hungarian State Security (ÁBTL). Original research cards on personal information of victims of prison tortures are kept in Budapest City Archives (BFL).

Content and Structure

Scope and Content (Abstract)

The illegally conducted research project in 1986 on persons executed or dead in prison aimed to identify victims on the basis of death certificates. However, Varga found that a substantial part of data in the death registers – both of the executed and who died in the tortures – were false. As a consequence, well known victims are missing as they were not registered at all or under false data. At the same time, common names like Big, Small etc.), and birth in areas that were cut off from Hungary were much more frequent than normal; while death was supposed to be recorded in the birth registers, this could not happen in cases where the registers did not belong to Hungary any longer, i.e. data could not be controlled.

Furthermore, causes of death were apparently false: the majority were pulmonic or cardiac diseases. The files, thus, cannot be used to identify real deaths only to pinpoint the falsification of data.

It was after the research project that a document was found according to which between July 31, 1951 and January 30, 1953, the Budapest Prison reported death under false names for the District 10 Council. From January 30, 1953 reporting ceased altogether and burials were recorded in a book. From October 6, 1953 deaths were again reported at the district council but various kinds of illnesses were given as the cause rather than execution.

As opposed to original hopes, the research cards cannot be used to identify victims of communism, only to build some kind of statistics.

Accruals

Not Expected

System of arrangement

For reasons listed above, the series is unarranged.

Conditions of Access and Use

Conditions governing access

The general rules of research in OSA Research Room apply.

Conditions governing reproduction

A dokumentumok oktatási és kutatási célból digitálisan másolhatók az OSA kutatótermében.

Description Control

Archivist's note

Processed by László Varga, March 2, 2015.