The start of 1977 was significant in the fight for human rights in Czechoslovakia. At the peak of communism, oppression was at an all-time high. Following another year of prosecution of artists, trials of the bands such as ‘ The Plastic People of the Universe’ and others had become an everyday occurrence. These unwarranted actions against creative expression were the last straw in the patience of the Czech people. On January 1, Charter 77, a declaration of human rights, was published by a group of Czech citizens.
““Charter 77 is not an organization; it has no rules, permanent bodies, or formal membership. It embraces everyone who agrees with its ideas, participates in its work, and supports it.””
Though the charter was not made up of a singular group, it was often represented by 3 chosen spokespeople. This triad usually included a former communist, a “non-party” and an individual from the world of culture. When Charter 77 was initially published the spokesmen were:
Jiri Hajek (foreign minister during Prague Spring)
Vaclav Havel
Jan Patocka - Died of a brain hemorrhage after interrogation in 1977
*later spokespeople include individuals such as Vaclav Benda, Jiri Dienstbier & Marta Kubisova
Beginning with only 242 initial signatures, Charter 77 became widely popular with the Czech people. By the Velvet Revolution, the document had 10 times as many signatures, a whopping 2,000 signatures from Czechs from all walks of life. Publicly supporting this charter was very risky and most citizens signed at great personal cost. Many signers were dismissed from jobs, deprived of passports and driver’s licenses, and even evicted from their homes.
Charter 77 Supporters
Source: Progetto Repubblica Ceca
Charter 77 led to many legal issues for supporters as well. Often arrested under charges such as “criminal activities aimed against the foundation of the republic”, many of Czechoslavokia’s most influential figures were targeted. Vaclav Havel, one of the original spokesmen for Charter 77 and Czechoslovakia’s first president, was one of the first arrested and served 9 months.
One supporter, Tomas Hradilek, was detained on charges of inciting rebellion and damaging Czechoslovakia’s image. Undeterred, Hradilek held fast to his support and after the Velvet Revolution, he became one of the assembly deputies to elect Vaclav Havel into office.
Another supporter was Jiri Lederer, a reporter who was imprisoned multiple times for his articles speaking against communism. Covering from the Warsaw Pact occupation to Charter 77, every article he wrote was a risk. In 1972, Lederer was arrested yet again in response to his article “Poland of these weeks”. He served 2 years for the article.
Influencing more than just the local community, Lederer also sent articles to exile periodicals in areas Czechs fled to during this time. After a 3 year sentence from 1977-1980, Lederer evaded to West Germany with his family, were he could safely continue to publish articles in exile periodicals.
Many documents were created by Charter signors between 77’ and the beginning of the Velvet Revolution, including both articles such as Lederer’s and documentation of the acts of repression from the Communist party. The charter also supported the underground publication of works of both fiction and non-fiction.
Written by: Kelsey McDade
‘Charter 77’, Encyclopedia of Modern Europe: Europe Since 1914: Encyclopedia of the Age of War and Reconstruction, Encyclopedia.com, https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/charter-77, (Accessed January 31, 2023).
Hofmann, Paul, ‘Czech Dissidents Urge Government to Release Plague Disputes Times Reporter on His Detention’, The New York Times, 1977, https://www.nytimes.com/1977/02/18/archives/czech-dissidents-urge-government-to-release-4-prague-disputes-times.html, (Accessed January 31, 2023).
‘Tomas Hradilek’, Memory of Nations, https://www.memoryofnations.eu/en/hradilek-tomas-1945, (Accessed February 3, 2023).
Svoboda, Miroslav , interview by Vrtálková, Anna, ‘Listy - Exile Magazine’, COURAGE Registry Oral History Collection, 2019, http://cultural-opposition.eu/registry/?uri=http://courage.btk.mta.hu/courage/individual/n51335, (Accessed February 3, 2023).