Summary
In January 1977 an opposition movement began in Czechoslovakia with a call for human rights. More than 200 writers and intellectuals signed the original Charter - many of them were then arrested. One of the leaders of the movement was Vaclav Havel, the playwright who went on to become President after the fall of communism. Louise Hidalgo has spoken to Martin Palouš who was one of the original signatories.
Photo: Vaclav Havel talking about Charter 77 in 1978. Credit: Getty Images.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello and thank you for downloading Witness from the BBC World Service. |
| 0:03.8 | I'm Louise Adaggo and today I'm taking you back to January 1977 and a document that would |
| 0:09.5 | change the course of Czechoslovakian history. |
| 0:12.4 | Charter 77 was a petition signed by more |
| 0:15.2 | than 200 writers and intellectuals calling on the Soviet-backed communist government |
| 0:19.9 | in Prague to respect basic human rights. |
| 0:23.0 | It gave birth to a movement that would help bring about the fall of communism. |
| 0:28.0 | I've been talking to one of Charter 77's original signatories. |
| 0:32.0 | It basically was about our common determination to speak |
| 0:37.2 | truth and to start a genuine dialogue about the human rights and call things their right names. |
| 0:44.0 | Martin Palosch was a young philosophy student, one of the 242 writers, intellectuals and others who signed that groundbreaking call. |
| 0:53.0 | They knew it was dangerous. |
| 0:55.0 | Martin at first didn't even tell his family. |
| 0:58.0 | My father was one of the signatories too. |
| 1:01.0 | One funny thing was that we really were good conspirators because we only |
| 1:06.0 | informed each other that we are both signatory or charter 77 only weeks |
| 1:12.2 | after we really signed the document. |
| 1:14.7 | It was, I think, in the Christmas time, 1976. |
| 1:18.0 | A few days later, on the 6th of January, 1977, |
| 1:21.8 | three of the leaders of this new movement set off by car shortly before midday |
| 1:26.9 | to deliver this petition in person to Czechoslovakia's Communist government. |
| 1:31.8 | The three men were the architects of Charter 77, the playwright |
... |
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