Democracy's Defenders by Norman L. Eisen

Democracy's Defenders by Norman L. Eisen

Author:Norman L. Eisen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Brookings Institution Press


27 October 1989 1324Z

PRAGUE 07490

FM AMEMBASSY PRAGUE | TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1342 | INFO EASTERN EUROPEAN POSTS, AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS, DEPT PASS TO ERIKA SCHLAGER CSCE COMMISSION, BRUSSELS ALSO FOR USEC

SUBJECT: REGIME DETAINS VACLAV HAVEL IN ANTICIPATION OF OCTOBER 28 DEMONSTRATIONS

REF: PRAGUE 7451

1. Confidential—entire text.

2. Summary. Vaclav Havel and a number of other independent activists have been detained by Czechoslovak police to prevent their participation in independent demonstrations scheduled for October 28. Havel was transferred to a hospital after complaining of difficulty breathing, where he remains under guard. We anticipate these arrests may be similar to arrests prior to August 21 demonstrations, when a number of activists were detained and then released without criminal charges being filed after conclusion of the demonstrations. End summary.

3. We have learned that Vaclav Havel was picked up by police Thursday evening, October 26, and taken to a Prague police station. Havel, who is a heavy smoker, complained of difficulty breathing and was transferred to a Prague hospital, where he remains at this time under guard.

4. Havel, in an earlier Radio Free Europe interview, announced that he planned to stay in Prague on Saturday, October 28 and go about his normal business. Havel added that if he was still free at 3:00 p.m. he planned to go to Wenceslas Square and observe any independent demonstration commemorating the 1918 founding of an independent Czechoslovakia, which might occur.

5. In addition to Havel, Eva Kanturkova of the Czechoslovak Helsinki Committee was detained and jailed on Thursday afternoon, October 26. Also detained Thursday was Charter 77 activist Jaroslav Sabata and John Bok of the Independent Peace Association. Five other human rights activists, including Jan Chudomez of the Independent Peace Association, were detained on Tuesday, after an interview with Austrian police, and remain jailed.

6. We have also learned that the activist Ladislav Lis was told by Czechoslovak police to leave town or face a weekend in jail. Lis has left Prague. Calls to Charter 77 spokesperson Dana Nemcova and religious activist Vaclav Maly Friday morning, October 27, found both at home and thus far free of detention.

7. Prior to the August 21 anniversary of the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia police detained at least six activists to prevent their participation in demonstrations. All those detained in August were released shortly after the demonstrations, and none were charged with violations of criminal law (Prague 5830 and 5960). We would suspect the current detention of Havel and the others will follow the August pattern of no criminal charges being filed. BLACK



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