Charter 77

The Charter 77 Czech (: Charta 77 ) is a petition dissidents opposing to the process of “Normalization” of the Czechoslovakian company.

Birth

In 1976, individuals come from different horizons meet to off protest against the repressive attitude of the Communist government of Gustáv Husák against the group rock'n'roll underground The Plastic People the Universe.

They publicly recall to the government its engagement concerning the respect of the Human rights signed in 1975 to the Conférence of Helsinki. In December 1976, a petition entitled “Charter 77”, starts to circulate and be signed by personalities of the world of arts, citizens lambda, professors of university… which requires government to respect his engagements published in the Official journal (Sbírka Zákonů) in October 1976.

Authors and signatories

The authors and first signatories of Charter 77 are the dramatic author and future president Václav Havel, the philosopher Jan Patočka, Zdeněk Mlynář, the diplomat and former Foreign Minister Jiří Hájek and the writer Pavel Kohout.

Charter 77 brings together 242 signatories at the time when repression in their opposition starts. It continues nevertheless to circulate. The number of the signatories is in oneself negligible, however Charter 77 is regarded as one key moment in the resistance movement with the totalitarian Communist regime whereas “standardization” beats full sound after the Printemps of Prague of 1968.

Among his signatories, one finds, in addition to the caused authors, of the representatives of the literary world Ludvík Vaculík, Jiří Kolář, Pavel Juracek, Oldřich Černý or of the politicians implied in the Printemps of Prague, like Jiří Dienstbier.

Contrary to Solidarność which is born three years later in close Poland and which becomes a movement of mass on a trade-union and Christian basis, Charter 77 remains limited to the Czechoslovakian intellectual circles but it does not have any less, just like Solidarność, contributed in a direct way, with the fall of Communism in 1989.

Abroad, several initiatives are born to support Charter 77:

in 1977, with Paris, creates for itself the International committee for the support of the principles of Charter 77 in Czechoslovakia ( Mezinárodní výbor Na podporu zásad Charty 77 v Československu )
in 1978, around people implied in the newspaper of Swedish left Folket I Bild () a Foundation Charter 77 is created, represented by Petr Larsson, Petr Gavelinet Jiří Pallas

Anticharte

The Communist government organizes a against-petition which will quite naturally take the name of “anticharte” and the artists are strongly invited to sign it what is obviously analyzed like a servile sign of tender to the mode in place.

January 27th, 1977, all the artists in sight or known are invited to the National theater to listen to the actress Jiřina Švorcová déclamer a call For a new creation in the name of socialism and of peace , following what they are invited to affix their signature there. The daily newspaper Rudé Právo publishes on January 31st, 1977 the list of the aforesaid signatories adding to it, that and there, that of people whom the mode wanted to see with its with dimensions…

Among the signatories of Anticharte, one will quote Bohumil Hrabal which had fallen in disgrace at the time from the Printemps from Prague and whose signature re-engages the leading process of its works.

Activities

Charter 77 is represented by three spokespersons named for one year.

It has the aim of building a constructive dialog with the authorities and the government, to draw its attention to the failures with the basic rights of the man and the citizen and to propose solutions.

It becomes in the Seventies and Eighties, the official body of the opposition to the Communist regime. It publishes a news bulletin which circulates in the form of Samizdat.

It is officially dissolved in 1992, the fall of Communism having been reached and the restored Human rights, it lost its raison d'être.

External bonds

Article on Radio operator Prague {{Fr}} at the time of the thirtieth birthday of the signature

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