Prague Spring reformer Císař dies at 93

Čestmír Císař, a reformer in Czechoslovakia’s Communist Party in the 1960s, has died at the age of 93. Mr Císař passed away on Sunday following a long bout with illness. In the early 1960s Mr Císař held the high post of secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (KSČ). From 1963 to 1965 he was also the minister of culture and education, but was dismissed for overly liberal views and was sent to serve as ambassador to Romania. Later, he was brought back by Alexander Dubček and was one of several candidates for president following the resignation of Antonín Novotny. After 1989, Mr Císař founded a short-lived group (made up largely of former Prague Spring reformers) backing “democratic socialism”.

Author: Masha Volynsky