LOCATIONS AND DESCRIPTIONS OF AVO PRISONS AVO INTERROGATION METHODS NOTEWORTHY HUNGARIAN POLITICALLY PERSECUTED PERSONALITIES

Document Type: 
Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP80T00246A000700960001-8
Release Decision: 
RIPPUB
Original Classification: 
C
Document Page Count: 
28
Document Creation Date: 
December 21, 2016
Document Release Date: 
June 10, 2008
Sequence Number: 
1
Case Number: 
Publication Date: 
May 8, 1957
Content Type: 
REPORT
File: 
AttachmentSize
PDF icon CIA-RDP80T00246A000700960001-8.pdf1.34 MB
Body: 
01-8 O ARMY review completed Approved For Release 2008/06/10 : CIA-RDP80T00246A000700960001-8 , T SPECIAL CO SEE BOTTOM OF PAGE FOR Thin material contains WoralatiOn affecting the National Defense or we United State. within the meaning of the Espionage Lawn, Title 18, U.S.C, PREPARED AND DISSEMINATED BY Secs. 793 and 794, the transmission or revelation of which in any manner to an unauthorised 125X1 CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY son is prohibited by law. COUNTRY USAF review completed. Hua~lay SUBJECT DATE DISTRIBUTED % cx 1 S'1 ~r,i -..ws of i ~ aTJFi yam 1 AVO P 9 NO. OF PA, rS NO. OFECLS 25X1 lotev ort+y sg AVO tnt~ation Ytathod ~ , ~ Hungarian politically perse Uteri ties SUPPLEMENT IJ RLPUhI i THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION This report is the result of a joint collection effort of the Air Force, [ Army and CIA, and is disseminated in accordance with the provisions of NSCID #7] 25X1 le I was arrested on 16 Dec 46, and was imprisoned in the following AVO prisons: Military Political Police Headquarters, Nadar St 9, Budapest - I a. was here from my arrest until 22 or 23 Feb 46e This inataltation has since moved to the Hadik Kaserne, Bartok St 16, Budapest flo 25X the County Court Buildings Marko St, Budapest be Detention cell of y , I was here during the period 23 Feb 46 to 16 Apr 46. This buttdlnq consists of three stories; each floor had about 10 to 15 onedlnan cells and four or five mass cells. Fhrile I was sentenced to use iawrisonmento On file is an aver'- 25X lay showing location of County Court House of Budapest. Ce Prison, Kos= St 13, Budapest = [on file m+ffi3 Collecting ,cert location of Central Gang h i l . ow ng eay s is an over I was here fora total of six and one=half years and was In this prim 25X son when released by revolutionary forces. I left this prism for other places of confinanent on four occasions fiumerated. in sub era= graphs d, e, and f belawo 25X de I was in the AVO Prison at Vac an two occasions; once fxrnt Ma to Auril 1952 and again from August 1955 to Zino 1956. _ 25X Headquarters of the Military Political Police note: 25X Is Source is referring to the Katooa-Politican Osstely, co m~only known as r$atpolej in Hadik Kaserne, Bartok St 16, Budapest ix - I was 1 IF A ROLS N 1 1 1 1 Police Head 25X1 quarters f. The AVO Headquarters Building, Po St Buds at - I was here for three Weeks during the summer of 1951. ZO'nr file .s an overlay showing t h e location of t h e A V O Headquarters B Ae 25X1 2. The Central Collecting Prison consists of one large building with two star- shaped Wings, two hospitals, a button factory, a very efficient engineering enterprise staffed entirely by prisoners, work shops and AVO quarters. LOn file 0 is Source?s memory sketch of this prison27 3. The AVO Prison at Vac consists of one, four-story, L-shaped building for 25X1 the more important political prisoners. I was imprisoned here. It also had a boz-shaped building for prisoners who worked during the daytime in the button factory. The button factory consisted of one, large, L-shaped building and two or three smaller buildings. At Vac was the most modern prison hospital. This hospital specialized in tuberculosis k eh of tthe 25X1 also treated other illnesses. foin file is a 0 Vac AVO Prison.] b. The AVO prison at Vac also contains some solitary confinement cells. They were located in an old mausoleum which was part of a beautiful. Gothict style Church. The church building was used as a work shop. These "special treatment" cells consisted of about five cells called "doberdoe " an unknown number of black rooms, and about five other cells. Lou file are rouCh diagrams of the solitary confinement cell o 25X1 nderwent the most intensive interrogation of my impr'tsomnent during the UNCODED '~.st three weeks following my arrest. Vany techniques of interrogation were used : Some were mental, a were physical.., and str a aenkiivbtton of both. Since the end resaatt of any technique employed is a cowpl.stp, core fessin*+- T vill not limit my 'ks to a rs`ss axol:~a9. al disc-usaoia?!n nt the tecy?UYCODEDed against men I win discuss eadi tevhui,que are it ramwsryto my mind. A few of the interrogation. techniques 1Lexrciv-Ing physi a+n, v~n1e-rM* employed by AVO personnel ageinet me and my' feller pisonere ate t'--.=owe: a. Beatings with the fist or a bludge*an of the ha aarxl. ?u?'k.^s" . 'M-age beatings usually had an adversab effect sia e I s}ou built at, isvma-1ty to them. Beating of the kiatxeys vat also doneo ?O.?s t ?'f bee'carg would usually be p7??fa-e4 artth a remax"t to this sffe ct trot it '.ram up to us to either keep our kidnrys to they may prs:rfort the.Xr niYtm&._ ; w,e tion, or to lose them. Beating of the instep of our baa feF't also employed. b. We were made to stand about orae-bait metf-- from a Ohl, khe*_a 'wi.t: Cx- arms outstretched to rest only ,n r fcreraeariaa agsjx^ tt the ' o We would have to stand this way for hoa-re at a Use. This wee ott. , accompanied by beatings. Loss of sleep is perhaps the moat prena.eat t~ :.tvn;site A,1. 'se.:xd t ?"^ o gations were conducted at night and we were not perm?tted. during the daytime. With the legs outstretched the wrists would be ekiaokled to the rsenktes with chains. We would be forced to sit on the floor and keep our legs straight. If we bent them., a guard would jump on our knees for cixs the legs straight. The ~kles would toy sc them t nangge- ment which permitted the guard and tighter around the wrists and ankles. This was M?eedinglgy painful and no man could endure this treatment without screaming in pain, particularly if link shrine were used since they dig into the flesh when tightened.. This treatment is usua ly' accom- panied by complete loss of bowel and bladder control. At Budapest link chains were used, while at Vac metal bracelets were used. These bracelets were not nearly as painful since they did not dig into the akin. If we would lose consciousness, the chains would be loosened; we would be rerlvett. With water; then the pro- cess would be repeated. This technique is very effective. Dur- ing 1952 and 1953, indiscriminate use was made of this torture as a method of punishment for committing minor icfrantions of prison rules. 6. Some specific examples of the use or threatened use of force are as follows: a. A friend of mine was cemented into a brick wall into an area that was so small that he could not sit down or even flex his muscles. He was left in this dam, cold "living grave" for two dayso He brake down and talked freely when finally released. b. Once, about a week before my final con rssinn, I was brought before an AVO interrogator who told me that he way an ex~bcsxer. He was a powerfully built man. Two of my friends, who were being investigated at the same time, were alreariv sitting in this roam when I arrived.. I was confronted with some demsrging documentary evidence, but I denied any knowledge of it. Then, to my surprise, my friends urged me to confess ovrurship of the doc ;O s, but I still refused. The interrogRtor theti summoned an assistant to bring him his recall rubber gloves. He took his shirt off and displayeed powerfu:->Ioekiwg m'lac'eso He indicated to his assistant that he wo?uud b.*we me ta:.king within two minixtes. He and his assistant talked in low toaome, laughed and occaaionnally looked in my direction. Trip into: aglet r made a gesture to his assistant which irjicated the' he wren going to twist or otherwise mutilate my sr-_=&I or-ms. Jw4 as the interrogator finished putting nn his gtovee h t ?max e:Y e l +. opened a door to an ad?joiuiaag Wit.; I ^,oxld, se that tie ss > Ewa vas padded in such a nusxter to make It sjr r1nt, he 5n*e; ~g ator motioned for me to entv-r the root. I r,.vif'eaee+ . c'wa :'Shi'p of the papers instead of as ? eying h3m, c. Although I have never been at the AVO kx-&.sot in Ke, mkeu?t,. I have heard that it was the worst in Hungary. I bsvae hex,,1-i of instances where men were actually pl.mized In a ca"il+et. 1-'n ysd '_at/! a grave, and covered with soil. Another ter:bni-pie used there is to btnyr a man up to his then, at r-g' s t intervals, to 1. At brie full of dirt t c^ e, g 10m +11v ? he talked he wnuii;, be buvbek alive. I h.A.sd tJtri' TY t ..1.:: ?N of tiring a man and piacttsg h si under a dripping f w9et vwA also used. Some of the so-called mentsbl. techniques vhirh untitled ft peycvhmW logical or mental prostration are as fol owes a. During my second night of imprisormwnt, I suddenly heard my wife sobbing. I was alarmed and very worried since my wife was not an accomplice to my underground activities and I was told by the AVS that she would not be arrested. I dearly loved my wife and worried about her since she suffered frnm a goiter condition. After about an hour of faintly hearing her sobbings, a guard entered my cell and in a very polite manner said:, "Excuse me sir, we have your wife with us tonight, but, she did not bring a coat with her and It is cold. In her z e-11. She requests that you give her your coat only if you do not need it yourself." Naturally I surrendered my coat, to him even though I knew that the guard himself could have given her a blanket if he gated to. In about 20 minutes the guard. returned with my coat and again, speaking very politely said, "I an sorry sir, your wife said that you must take back your coat. She said that she can't bear to think of you being cold and suffering." The guard deported and. Loudly s'aarrnse