1988. március (32-68. szám) / HU_BFL_XIV_47_2

Ilk'i'í’in^rvvjM tim .

Editor: György Krassó » 24/D Little Russell Street * London, WC1A 2HN * Tel. 01-430 2126 (írom abroad 441-430 2126)

32/1988 (E) lst March, 1988 *

House Search in Budapest:

The Typeset of Imre Kovács*s Book is -Confiscated

After a fev months lapse the Hungárián Police State Security Agencies are once again conducting house searches in Budapest. The folloving report uas received by the "Hungárián October" Information Centre:

On the night of February 28-29 1988 at about midnight eigjht members of the

Hungárián Interior Agencies conducted a house search in Adám Modor’s, who is

a 30 year old railvay worker, fiat on the pretext that it vas a premises inspection. In 198X Adám Modor graduated from the Faculty of Árts in Budapest, he is v

a teacher of cultural history and a colleague in the "Catalyst Office". His

fiat is at 22/A Pinty Street, Budapest XII. The civil and uniformed police vho

only identified themselves in part did nőt prove who had ordered such measures

and on vhat grounds vith any legal papers - they only announced that an investigation vas taking piacé because of a civilian report. They shoved him a blank

varrant vhich they filled in later during tbe premises inspection. When Adám Modor

drew attention to this and did nőt allow them intő nis fiat they forced their

vay through the open door. The officiating police: Police Colonel Tibor Halász,

Police Lieutenant Tamás Nagy, First Lieutenant Gizella Szarvas and their coll- eagues who did nőt identify themselves. When Adám Modor refused to hand over the objects requested voluntarily they embarked upon a thorough fiat search collecting samizdat periodicals and manuscripts vhich could be found in tfce fiat - fór example Béla Szász’s Zsákutca (Dead End on the Sea) and Czech Political Trials -, asetcf stencilled typeset (Imre Kovács’s Magyarország megszállása - Hungary’s Occupation), materials used fór a stencil duplicating machine, stencil paper and two typevriters. The matériái damage came to about 30,000 Forints vorth of samizdat publications and confiscated manuscripts vhich are difficult to replace, one of the officers officiating affirmed that they would be examined by an expert and possibly retumed. The house search lasted about tvo hours and included the garden and outbuildings. The police could nőt conceal their disappointment when they realised that they vould nőt find the duplicating machine vhich they came to find. At the end of the house search the report vas signed. The police officiating apart from their negligence mentioned above vere civilized tovards Adám wodor and his pregnant wife. The confiscated materials vere taken away at two in the morning. The proceedings took piacé before tvo state vitnesses - neighbours.' The XII district police station - 3-5 Maros Street, Budapest XII - appeared on the varrant as the executive body fór the premises inspection.

The "Catalyst Office" - a relatively little knovn Budapest samizdat press - is organised by university students and young people vho have recently graduated.

It has been publishing since 1984 beginning vith small stencilled studies and

later duplicated and screen printed books, fór example Mihail Bulgakov’s növel

Dog Heart and Our Death a photographic documentary of the state of the 301st $

plot of the Rákoskeresztúr Cemetery - the grave stones of the executed/1956

revolutionariesy, István Orosz’s interviev anthology entitled Száműzetésben

("In Exile"), English Observer a compilation of articles from the London Times

translated intő Hungárián and recent Hungárián and Eastem European recollections

of historical events beautifully presented in a 1988 vall calendar. Among the

stencils confiscated during the Sunday night search vere - vith Hungárián October

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