Public pay last respects to deceased actress and Charter 77 signatory Vlasta Chramostová

Leading representatives of the Czech cultural scene gathered at the National Theatre in Prague on Monday to attend an official farewell ceremony for actress and Charter 77 signatory Vlasta Chramostová, who died this month at the age of 92. The event, which featured a number of speakers including her former colleagues from the National Theatre, culminated with a symbolic funeral procession exiting the building.

Mrs. Chramostová was an accomplished actress before her refusal to accept the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 led to her losing the opportunity to perform in film, television and radio. During the normalisation era she was active in the country’s dissent and signed the Charter 77 protest document. For her activities in the service of human rights and democracy, Ms. Chramostová was awarded the Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk by President Václav Havel in 1998.