Biszku, now 92 years old, was a member of the ruling executive committee that authorised the shooting of protesters in Budapest and Salgótarján in December 1956, in which 49 civilians were killed.

Biszku, the only surviving member of the committee, denies the charges and will file an appeal.

Prosecutors said they will appeal against the sentence, with the aim of jailing Biszku for life, based on contemporary documents, witness testimonies and other evidence.

Biszku is the first suspect to be charged under a 2011 law that removed the statute of limitations on war crimes and classified actions by the Communist party leaders as war crimes.

Source: Hungary Around the Clock

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