Veteran politician Pozsgay dies

Budapest (MTI) – Imre Pozsgay, a key figure in Hungary’s transition to democracy, died at the age of 82, his family told MTI on Friday.

Born in 1933, Pozsgay had a career in the Kádár era, and served as minister of culture and then also of education between 1976 and 1982. He was minister of state at the time of the political regime change, and as such, made his famous announcement in January 1989 that the 1956 revolt was a “popular uprising” rather than a counter-revolution, as described by communist historians. The announcement, which elicited a strong reaction, questioned the legitimacy of the entire system and contributed to its dismantling.

In August 1989, he attended the Pan-European Picnic, which enabled hundreds of East German refugees to escape to the West and paved the way for the lifting of the Iron Curtain.