OSA / Guide / Fonds / HU OSA 302

HU OSA	302 P
Authority entry:	Demszky Gábor, 1952-

Date(s) and Place(s) of existence

Born Budapest, Hungary, 1952

Places and geographical areas Lived in Budapest, 1952-

Nationality Hungarian

Occupation, sphere of activity

Gábor Demszky began to study law at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest in 1970. Two years later he was expelled for organizing a political demonstration, but was able to continue his studies a year later. He earned a Master's Degree in law in 1976; in 1978 he began to study sociology and earned a second Master's Degree in 1981.

Between 1976 and 1981 Demszky worked for the social science journal "Vilagossag." In 1977 he signed a declaration of solidarity with the Czech dissident movement Charta '77. He was one of the founders in 1979 of the first Hungarian underground social services organization SZETA (Foundation to Help the Poor). He contributed to various samizdat papers and in 1981, with Laszlo Rajk, founded the AB Independent Publishing House. In 1983 he became the editor of the samizdat paper "Hirmondo." Demszky endured repeated police raids and fines, and in 1984 he was given a suspended sentence of six months' imprisonment. In the same year the International Association of Publishers awarded him the Freedom to Publish Prize.

During the 1980s Demszky repeatedly journeyed to Poland, where he became acquainted and established relationships with members of the Polish dissident movement.

In 1988 he was one of the founders of the Network of Free Initiatives and later of the party called Alliance of Free Democrats. In 1989 he was elected to the Executive Board of the Alliance. In the first free elections in the spring of 1990, Demszky was elected a Memmber of Parliament representing one of the constituencies of Budapest. In the new Parliament he became the chairman of the Committee on National Security and a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

In Budapest local elections in the autumn of 1990 Demszky headed his party's list and was elected mayor by the new City Council on October 31, 1990. He then resigned as a Member of Parliament. He was re-elected mayor in December 1994 and in October 1998.

Demszky became president of the Hungarian delegation to the Standing Conference of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe in 1991, and became vice-president of the Conference in 1992, a position he held until 1996.

Gabor Demszky is the founder and one of the directors of the Association to Save Children and the co-president of the "Budapest Bank for Budapest" Foundation.

Rules or conventions

ISAAR(CPF): International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families General Intenational Standard Archival Description; OSA Internal Rules.

Dates of description

Prepared by Trudy Huskamp Peterson, 7 December 1998; revised by Pavol Šalamon, 30 Otober 2002
Online version updated 18 December 2008