1987. november (125-143. szám) / HU_BFL_XIV_47_2

(SSGlMi

2.4/D Little Rutsell Street, LONDONI, W-C.i -TcLDl-* 50 í< 2í • G. firassé

139/1987 (e) November 26th;1987

Balint Arany Dies

One of the Principal Defendants in the 19^7 "Hungárián Collective" Trial

At the age of 86 the engineer Bálint Arany died in Budapest. During the Second World War he took part in the resistance movement opposing the Germans and after the war in the reorganisation of the Independent Small Holders Party. Xn the so-called "Hungárián Collective" trial in 19^7 Balint Arany was sentenced to life imprisonment this was then repealed to 12 years. He was released in 1956. He was visited many times in recent years by young people from Budapest, one of whom sent the following farewell address to the Hungárián October Freepress:

"Once again we have lost a crown witness, whose personal fate was deeplj" affected by the events of Hungárián history in the last decades. In the November 2kth edition of the Hungárián daily Magyar Nemzet a short announcement appeared pút in by the management of SFK, a Swedish ball bearing stock company: Bálint Arany, an engineer who until recently had worked fór the company since 1929, has died at the age of 86 after a short period of illness.

Who was this engineer? Who was Balint Arany? His name is inseparable from that of an ideological trial, the 19^7 "Hungárián Collective" trial. Working with a script devised by Russian advisers Gábor Péter and a group of zealous hélpers constructed a rigged trial which initiated the dissolution of the Independent Small Holders Party and forced the Prime Minister Ferenc Nagy to emigrate.

The Hungárián Collective was a secret society which resisted the Germans before 19^5. Their role in the resistance has remained unclear until today. After 19^5 they reorganised as a friendship Society and discussed their expectations after the probable Soviet withdrawal and the expansion of their political role. During the trial groups which had hardly any connection with each other were linked to an army officer group, t0 Lajos Dálnoki Veress’s

friends, and an exaggerated conspiracy was concocted. Nearly 1000 people were arrested although much fewer were actually sentenced.

The so-called "SeveA'sCommittee"whieh allegedly made up the leader- ship did nőt exist and the prisoners only confessed after inquisit- ional tortures. Béla Kovács was taken away by the Russians. The peoples prosecutor called fór the execution of Bálint Arany as he did fór Gyö’rgy Donáth who was actually pút to death. Many more hangings were planned bút after Ferenc Nagy emigrated one execution was seen to be enough. Finally Balint Arany was sentenced to 12 years.

In 1956 after ten years imprisonment he was released. He was offici- ally rehabilitated bút in reality remained a condemned mán and was harassed by the police until the end. His friends will bid him farewell on December 1st at 12 noon in the Farkasret cemetery."