February 25 is the Memorial Day for Victims of Communist Dictatorships
"And wheresoever we may perish
Grandchildren those graves shall cherish
Singing our praises in their prayers
To thank us that our names are theirs."
Sandor Petofi - National Song (excerpt)
Hungary became part of the Eastern Bloc in 1945, when Stalin ruled the Soviet Union. Moscow appointed all our leaders, and following this pattern, our State Defence Police was organized. Initially established to prosecute war criminals, this police force—acting as an extension of the occupying power— focused on getting rid of anyone who opposed their vision of a "beautiful new world."
Black cars would follow people before units of the ÁVO (later ÁVH) seized them—typically at night, making deliberate noise to frighten entire apartment buildings.
The victims were taken to Andrássy 60 (today it is called House of Terror) for interrogation, where they faced torture and were forced to sign false conspiracy confessions. Many were executed, while those who survived the interrogations were sent to labor "re-education" camps, where part of them managed to stay alive.
After Stalin's death in 1953, people could finally breathe more freely as the camps were closed and most prisoners were released.
Plot 301, located at the farthest, most deserted point of the Budapest public cemetery, lies next to the fence. Here, those executed during show trials, detention, or forced labor were anonymously buried among garbage and weeds, without any marker and without their families' knowledge.
In 1956, Hungarians responded to the Soviet occupation and Stalinist terror with a revolution. In 1958, Prime Minister Imre Nagy and other revolutionary leaders were executed and buried at night in Plot 301—their hands bound and faces turned toward the ground, an act of ultimate disrespect to the deceased.
Today, the place stands as a national memorial. These people were only given their final honor in 1989, after a regime change.