József Kéri ( 1924-1985)
Born into a poor peasant family in Lajosmizse, Bács-Kiskun County, Kéri attended the Piarist Grammar School in Kecskemét and then enrolled at the Veterinary University in Budapest. He encountered the illegal communist party during the war. He was called up into the army in September 1944, but instead of obeying, went into hiding until the arrival of the Soviet forces. After that, he took part in re-establishing local government in Lajosmizse and began to organize for the Hungarian Communist Party, as local branch secretary. He also helped in several towns in Eastern Hungary to organize the Hungarian Communist Party and National Peasant Party and to canvass for candidates for the National Assembly. Kéri took part in the land redistribution and in July became the instructor for the Great Plain region at the headquarters of Madisz. That autumn, he enrolled to study law and became a member of the Győrffy College. He joined the Nékosz movement in 1947 and served as director of the Hajnóczy Law Students' College until his dismissal in 1949. On September 1, 1949, he was appointed an assistant lecturer in the university Faculty of Penal Law. He was transferred a year later to the Institute of State and Legal Studies as a researcher, where he soon became party secretary. On January 1, 1953, he became personal secretary to Károly Kiss, a deputy prime minister, and concurrently organizing secretary (later secretary) of the party organization in the Council of Ministers. Kéri was an enthusiastic supporter of the reforms of Imre Nagy. Shortly after the prime minister was dismissed, Kéri was transferred to Győr as county chief prosecutor. He was one of the organizers of the Petőfi Circle in Győr. On October 26, 1956, he became a member of the revolutionary committee at the Győr Prosecution Office and chairman of Győr National Council. He was charged by Attila Szigethy with establishing what had happened at the demonstration before the prison, where several protesters had lost their lives. Kéri took part in reshaping the local leadership of the HWP and was elected onto the new executive. At the national council, he supported the policy advocated by Szigethy, opposing the formation a counter-government. He resigned his assignments after the Győr demonstration of October 28 and travelled to Budapest. However, he returned on November 3 with the intention of organizing the new HSWP in Győr, and become a member of its Győr executive committee on November 4. However, he never joined the party of the same name led by János Kádár. As county chief prosecutor, Kéri pressed on several occasions for the release of arrested leaders of the revolution or refused to sign warrants for their arrest. On the other hand, Kéri began the investigation of those involved in the lynchings at Mosonmagyaróvár. General Ivan Serov described Kéri in his report as one of the 'leading organizers' of the uprising. He and Szigethy tried during November and December to defend the gains of the revolution as far as possible. On February 5, 1957, Kéri defended Szigethy and other leaders of the events in Győr from attacks made by György Marosán at a national meeting of prosecutors. His contribution caused him to be dismissed from his post and arrested, but the charges against him were soon dropped. After that, he lived in semi-legality, sought by the police on several occasions. On August 9, 1957, he reported voluntarily to the Budapest police and was arrested. On June 6, 1958, the court of first instance passed a valid sentence on him of seven years' imprisonment. He was released on April 4, 1961 under an individual amnesty. He then became a work organizer at the Combined Pharmaceutical Factory, in the materials and sales department and then in the new work organization department. In the spring of 1963, he was transferred to the economic division of Invest. He was then sent to the Industrial Economic and Work Organization Department of the Ministry of Heavy Industry, where he was soon in a position of responsibility. In 1972, he earned a candidacy degree in economics and became deputy director of the management-training institute at the Ministry of Heavy Industry, but he was dismissed in 1974 because of his 1956 record. His post at the ministry was abolished in 1976, but he continued to work as a scientific adviser and a periodical editor.
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