Arrest in Hungary Over War Crimes in 1956 Uprising

One of the most violent episodes of the Cold War took place in 1956 in Hungary.

The country attempted to break away from the control of the Soviet Union.

The Soviets responded by sending troops and tanks to crush the Hungarian uprising.

Thousands died in the fighting and the repression that followed.

This week, for the first time, a former top Hungarian communist official was detained for his part in the crackdown.

His name is Bela Biszku, 90, who became the nation’s interior minister after Soviet forces reinstated communist control.

Biszku is accused of ordering security forces to fire on demonstrators on two separate occasions, causing the deaths of 51 unarmed civilians.

He’s charged with war crimes under a new law brought in last year, and is now under house arrest.

Veronika Gulyas, a reporter for the Dow Jones news service in Budapest, says the 1956 uprising is still a divisive issue in Hungary.

That’s one reason, she says, why it’s taken so long to bring a prosecution.

Biszku’s story was brought to public notice by a documentary in 2010.

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Marco Werman: One of the most violent episodes of the Cold War took place in 1956 in Hungary. The country attempted to break away from the control of the Soviet Union. The Soviets responded by sending troops and tanks to crush the Hungarian uprising. Thousands died in the fighting and the suppression that followed. Finally, this week, a former top Hungarian communist official was detained for his part in the bloody crackdown. His name is Bela Biszku and he turns 91 on Thursday. Veronika Gulyas is a reporter for the Dow Jones news service in the Hungarian capital, Budapest. Veronika, who is Bela Biszku and what is he accused of?

Veronika Gulyas: Biszku was a Minister of the Interior after the uprise and, basically, he was also a member of a committee which is now accused of having organized shootings of civilians after the uprise.

Werman: Was Biszku one of many Hungarians who collaborated with the Soviets?

Gulyas: Yes, that’s right. He was one of the key members of this party. He was basically sitting with the leader Janos Kadar and he had, of course, several companions – all of them are now dead.

Werman: Is there one specific incident that Bela Biszku is associated with?

Gulyas: Yes, there are actually two shootings that the Press Secretary’s office have said he has taken part in organizing. One of them is a shooting in Budapest in early December close to the Nyugati Square – one of the key Squares of Hungary where troops killed 5 people, and then he is also associated with shootings elsewhere in the country. Right now, these two shootings are those he can be for sure associated with.

Werman: Right, and these were unharmed protesters, we should remind our listeners. I mean, this event, Veronika, took place nearly 60 years ago. Where does 1956 sit today in the Hungarian psyche?

Gulyas: It’s something that divides people up until this day. There are many who say communist leaders back then didn’t get what they deserved. Others say they should be left alone; they are old people. I think these debates can be somehow likened, perhaps, to Nazi war criminals. They’re old men today but have participated in really serious issues.

Werman: Right, so it sounds like the case is stirring up all those emotions once again in Hungary. But we’ve got to say, we’re talking three generations of Hungarians since this happened in ’56. I mean, do young people kind of connect with what’s going on within this narrative?

Gulyas: Yes, sure they do. It was actually young people who once again got the focus on Bela Biszku. A team of young people who shot a film…shot a documentary on him actually evoked the case once again and their movie, their film helped authorities also gain insight into Biszku’s life today.

Werman: Why is this all happening now? I mean, this is 20 years after the Berlin Wall came down and freedom came to that part of the world.

Gulyas: This is a very good question. There is a really wide public debate about this in Hungary right now. Many say Biszku could have been detained much earlier on the very same basis on what he was detained on yesterday. The thing is right now there is a law that ensures that all Communist-era wrongdoers can be detained and, of course, prosecuted.

Werman: Now, just last month, an attempt to prosecute a Nazi-era war criminal immediately attracted attention worldwide. You’ve got this case now of communist war crimes, it’s not attracting that much attention. Are Hungarians aware of that difference and what do they say about it?

Gulyas: Basically, it’s of course two different cases but young people, as you said, they want the truth. Hungary needs all of its criminals caught independent of their age, of what type of war crimes they’ve committed and there’s quite a great unison on this among people here in Hungary.

Werman: Veronika Gulyas with the Dow Jones news service in Budapest, thank you very much.

Gulyas: Thank you.

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