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The Committee for the Defence of the Unjustly Prosecuted

Illustration
  • Where: Václav Havel Library, Ostrovní 13, Prague 110 00
  • When: April 26, 2018, 17:00 – 21:00

A gathering marking the 40th anniversary of its foundation.

The reason for the establishment of the Committee for the Defence of the Unjustly Prosecuted (VONS in Czech) in April 1978 was the necessity of drawing attention at home and especially abroad to those opponents of totalitarianism who were not publicly known, meaning there were no campaigns in their support.

In discussion panels we will explore the creation of the committee, how it operated and how its information was distributed abroad. We will also reflect on the dramatic events of 1979, when the state decided to destroy the committee; in May 16 members were arrested, of which six (including Václav Havel) received jail terms of several years.

17.00 – 18.30 Panel I
The Creation of VONS

The motive for the establishment of the Committee for the Defence of the Unjustly Prosecuted was in part positive experience with the work of the “Committee for Three”, an effort to draw attention to the cases of people who weren’t widely known either in the West or in Czechoslovakia, meaning the state was able to persecute them without risk of public campaigns in their support.
Guests: Kamila Bendová, Anna Šabatová and Zofia Romaszewská (Poland)
Moderator: Petruška Šustrová.

19.00 – 20.30 Panel II
Efforts to Destroy VONS and its Survival

In May 1979 the state decided to destroy the Committee for the Defence of the Unjustly Prosecuted. Sixteen members were arrested, of which the 10 most active were remanded in custody and six were convicted in winter 1979. However, 12 new members joined and the committee’s work continued.
Guests: Dana Němcová, Ján Čarnogurský (Slovakia), Jiří Gruntorád, Václav Malý and Jan Ruml
Moderator: Petruška Šustrová.

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