The memorial plaque commemorating the commander of the insurgents in the Corvin Passage, Iván László Kovács, was installed on the exterior wall of the Corvin Cinema on October 23, 1993. The cast-iron plaque was an initiative of the Certified Hungarian Freedom Fighters and the 1956 Revolutionary National Federation. On the bottom of the plaque, beneath the national flag with the Kossuth coat-of-arms, one can see a bronze sign with an inscription dedicated to Kovács. László Iván Kovács was born on August 18, 1930 in Debrecen, the son of a working class family. His father was a career officer in the Hungarian Army. In 1944, the family fled to the west and settled in Germany temporarily. One year later, the family returned to Hungary. As a result of their flight, the father was stripped of his pension, which plunged the family into poverty. Kovács obtained his higher education qualification in 1951, but was not allowed to take up the desired law studies due to his familial circumstances. In 1952, he worked as a civilian employee for the army, but was dismissed one year later. In 1955, he took up studies at the József Attila University. On October 23, 1956, Kovács joined the student demonstrations, and participated in the occupation and defence of the radio station. On October 25th, he joined forces with the insurgents at the Corvin Passage, who elected him as their commander on October 26th. In this function, he took part in the cease-fire negotiations with the Party leadership and the Ministry of Defence. On October 28, 1956, Kovács delivered the demands of the Corvin Square insurgents to Imre Nagy, which included the withdrawal of Soviet troops, the abolition of the one-party system, as well as the establishment of a revolutionary National Guard. On October 30/November 1, 1956, Kov was forced to step down from command as a result of internal power struggles. As the Soviet troops advanced once again into the capital the following day, he was accused of treason and detained. Nonetheless, he was able to escape and went underground until the final defeat of the Revolution. At the beginning of 1957, Kovács attempted to form a turul Party in the underground, which was intended to preserve the ideals of the Revolution. He published flyers and, among other things, planned the liberation of Pál Maléter. On March 12, 1957, Kovács was arrested, charged with the formation of a subversive organisation and sentenced to death by the Court of Justice on August 22nd. Kovács was executed on December 30, 1957. His grave is located in Lot 301 of the New Municipal Cemetery.