Miklós Duray is a Hungarian politician, writer, and teacher from Slovakia. He is the founder of the Coexistence political party and he is one of the signatories of Charta 77. Under the communist regime he was a well-known opposition politician. His political career started in 1965; for a short time he was a secretary in CSEMADOK, and later a head of the Hungarian Youth Organization (MISZ) and the head of the József Attila Youth Club in Bratislava. From 1978 he was a deputy chief of the Hungarian minority’s legal protection committee. In 1990 he established the Coexistence party and was head of the party until 1998. After 1998 he was an important member of the Party of the Hungarian Community.
Miklós Duray is a Hungarian politician, writer, and pedagogue from Slovakia, and he was a well-known oppositional politician in communist Czechoslovakia. His politicalcareer started under the communist regime (in 1965). From that moment, Duray was subject topublication bans, house searches,and arrests. His political career started in CSEMADOK, where he was a secretary for a short period of time. After that he was a head of the Hungarian Youth Organization (MISZ) and the head of the József Attila Youth Club in Bratislava. From 1978 he was a deputy chief of the Hungarian minorities legal protection committee.After that he was often interrogated by the police. In 1982he was accused of criminal activity against the stateand was arrested. At the beginning of 1983, he signed Charta 77. In 1984 he was arrested once again, for his activities against the regime. Thanks to foreign intervention (Amnesty International) he was released, but his passport was confiscated. In 1988 his passport was returned to him, thanks to foreign intervention, and he went to Pennsylvania with his wife. He worked in the university system in the United States. After the Velvet Revolution he managed to returnto Czechoslovakia and he almost became a member of the Federal Assembly. In1990 he established the Coexistence partyand was head of the party until 1998.. After 1998,he was an important member of the Party of the Hungarian Community. Between 1994and 2006 he was a member of the Slovak parliament. He left political lifein 2010 due to advancing age.
A largepart of Duray's legacy has been lost. Most of the missingdocuments were confiscated by the secret police during house searches. These and other documentswere destroyed after the end of the communist regime. Somedocuments, includinginterrogation records or surveillance records,can be still found in Prague in the Security Services Archive [Archív bezpečnostních složek]. Documents related to the time when he was ahead of József Attila Youth Club can be found in Forum Minority Research Institute. These documents are still waiting to be arrangedandare closed for the public.
Description of content
The collection contains a large variety of documents, including interrogation records or surveillance records, which are accessible in Prague in the Security Services Archive [Archív bezpečnostních složek]. Other documents are mainly from the time when Duray was ahead of József Attila Youth Club and these are housed in Forum Minority Research Institute. The collection also include some of Duray’s books, including Kettés elnyomásban [Dual oppression], Szlovákiai jelentés [Report about Slovakia].
