Former political prisoners recall Communist crimes and injustice

Former political prisoners, who were persecuted in Communist Czechoslovakia, met in Jáchymov on Saturday to mark one of the darkest periods in the country's history. Jáchymov was the site of uranium mines where thousands were sentenced to hard labour in the Stalinist 1950s. Frantíšek Šedivý, deputy head of the Political Prisoners´ Confederation, said similar ceremonies needed to be held annually in other parts of the Czech Republic to ensure that people continued learning about the inhuman conditions inmates faced in the mines and labour camps. There were also calls for greater involvement by schools. Other representatives warned that the Communist Party, the fourth strongest in the lower house, has never come to terms with its past, namely crimes committed by the former regime.

Author: Jan Velinger