16 June
Imre Nagy Memorial Day
(National Day of Mourning)

Commemoration of the Reburial of Prime Minister Imre Nagy and His Fellow Martyrs

Final words of Imre Nagy before his sentencing:

"Esteemed People's Court, the prosecution has requested the harshest possible punishment for me – the death penalty – arguing, among other things, that the nation could not accept a merciful sentence. I place my fate in the hands of the nation. I wish to offer no defence, and I do not request clemency."

The reburial of Imre Nagy, Prime Minister of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, and his fellow martyrs took place 31 years after their execution.

In February 1989, the Historical Justice Committee reached an agreement on the details of the reburial. On 16 June, the coffins of the martyrs were laid to rest in Plot 301 of the New Public Cemetery (Új Köztemető) in Budapest.

At Heroes' Square, the coffins of Imre Nagy, Miklós Gimes, Géza Losonczy, Pál Maléter, and József Szilágyi were placed in honour.

Alongside them stood a sixth coffin, symbolising all those who were executed or killed during the 1956 revolution. At 12:30 p.m., the country came to a standstill for one minute. Church bells tolled across the land as a mark of reverence and remembrance for the martyrs.

At Heroes' Square, speeches were delivered by survivors of the political show trials and representatives of the newly emerging political parties.

On 6 June 1989, the Presidium of the Supreme Court formally annulled the verdicts against Imre Nagy and his associates following a motion by the Chief Prosecutor, thereby officially exonerating them. After decades of injustice, suffering, and wrongful execution, the martyrs finally received legal rehabilitation and a dignified burial.

On the initiative of Tibor Méray, the Hungarian League for Human Rights decided to erect a symbolic memorial to the executed revolutionaries in Plot 44 of Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris on 16 June 1988, the 30th anniversary of the executions.

The ceremony was attended by Imre Nagy's daughter, the widows of Pál Maléter, József Szilágyi, and Miklós Gimes, as well as 25 Nobel laureates, members of the French Academy, the President of Portugal, and representatives of numerous international political organisations.

The entire world paid tribute to Hungary’s heroic martyrs.