Sándor Varga was born in 1942, in Chotín ( Slovakia). He graduated in Komárno, then continued his studies at the Pedagogical Institute in Nitra. He completed his studies at Comenius University in Bratislava and graduated as a historian-archivist. He received his PhD in 1975. He participated in youth organisations while still a student. The first youth organisation of ethinc Hungarians was established in Czechoslovakia in 1964,after the Czechoslovak Union of Youth failed to meet their needs and claims. Varga was one of the founders of the Hungarian Youth Association [Magar ifjúsági szövetség]. This association (MISZ) was established in 1968 in Bratislava as a response to the political situation following the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia. The main purpose was to create an independent youth organisation, on that protected the rights of Hungarian youth. From 1968 to 1970 Varga worked as a secretary in the largest cultural organisation of ethinc Hungarians in Slovakia, CSEMADOK. Until the Velvet Revolution (1989) he worked as archivist in the Slovak National Archives; during this time he remaind the member of CSEMADOK and defended the rights of Hungarians. After the Velvet Revolution, between 1989 and 1990, Varga was the Deputy Prime Minister in the Slovak goverment. While in government, Varga represented the Hungarian independent intiative. This intiative was created as one the most important movements during the Velvet Revolution. It worked closely with Public Against Violence. From 1978 till 1989, Varga was a member of the Hungarian minority’s rights defense committee. The commitee co-worked with some international organisations whose main purpose was to protect human rights. In 1991 he created the Documentary centre of nationalities in Bratislava. The centre’s main purpose was to document the history of the Hungarian minority in Slovakia. Throughout his life Varga tirelessly defended the rights of the Hungarian minority in Czechoslovakia and Slovakia. He also had a big part in maintaning Hungarian cultural heritage in Slovakia. He was not persecuted for his activities.
