الرئيسية
PRAGUE (AP) — The end of Czechoslovakia's totalitarian regime was
called the Velvet Revolution because of how smooth the transition
seemed: Communism dead in a matter of weeks, without a shot fired. But
for Vaclav Havel, it was a moment he helped pay for with decades of
suffering and struggle.
The dissident playwright spent years in
jail but never lost his defiance, or his eloquence, and the government's
attempts to crush his will ended up expanding his influence. He became a
source of inspiration to Czechs, and to all of Eastern Europe. He went
from prisoner to president in 1989, the year the Berlin Wall fell and
communism crumbled across the region.
Havel died Sunday morning at
his weekend home in the northern Czech Republic. The 75-year-old former
chain-smoker had a history of chronic respiratory problems dating back
to his time in prison.
Shy and bookish, with a wispy mustache and
unkempt hair, Havel helped draw the world's attention to the anger and
frustration spilling over behind the Iron Curtain. While he was
president, the Czech Republic split from Slovakia, but it also made
dramatic gains in economic might.
"His peaceful resistance shook
the foundations of an empire, exposed the emptiness of a repressive
ideology, and proved that moral leadership is more powerful than any
weapon," said President Barack Obama. "He also embodied the aspirations
of half a continent that had been cut off by the Iron Curtain, and
helped unleash tides of history that led to a united and democratic
Europe."
Mourners laid flowers and lit candles at Havel's villa in
Prague. A black flag of mourning flew over Prague Castle, the
presidential seat, and Havel was also remembered at a monument to the
revolution in the capital's downtown. "Mr. President, thank you for
democracy," one note read.
Lech Walesa, former Polish president
and the Nobel Peace Prize-winning founder of the country's
anti-communist Solidarity movement, called Havel "a great fighter for
the freedom of nations and for democracy."
"Amid the turbulence of
modern Europe, his voice was the most consistent and compelling —
endlessly searching for the best in himself and in each of us," said
former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright, who is of Czech
origin.
Havel was his country's first democratically elected
president, leading it through the early challenges of democracy and its
peaceful 1993 breakup into the Czech Republic and Slovakia, though his
image suffered as his people discovered the difficulties of transforming
their society.
He was an avowed peacenik who was close friends
with members of the Plastic People of the Universe, a nonconformist rock
band banned by the communist regime, and whose heroes included rockers
such as Frank Zappa. He never quite shed his flower-child past and often
signed his name with a small heart as a flourish.
called the Velvet Revolution because of how smooth the transition
seemed: Communism dead in a matter of weeks, without a shot fired. But
for Vaclav Havel, it was a moment he helped pay for with decades of
suffering and struggle.
The dissident playwright spent years in
jail but never lost his defiance, or his eloquence, and the government's
attempts to crush his will ended up expanding his influence. He became a
source of inspiration to Czechs, and to all of Eastern Europe. He went
from prisoner to president in 1989, the year the Berlin Wall fell and
communism crumbled across the region.
Havel died Sunday morning at
his weekend home in the northern Czech Republic. The 75-year-old former
chain-smoker had a history of chronic respiratory problems dating back
to his time in prison.
Shy and bookish, with a wispy mustache and
unkempt hair, Havel helped draw the world's attention to the anger and
frustration spilling over behind the Iron Curtain. While he was
president, the Czech Republic split from Slovakia, but it also made
dramatic gains in economic might.
"His peaceful resistance shook
the foundations of an empire, exposed the emptiness of a repressive
ideology, and proved that moral leadership is more powerful than any
weapon," said President Barack Obama. "He also embodied the aspirations
of half a continent that had been cut off by the Iron Curtain, and
helped unleash tides of history that led to a united and democratic
Europe."
Mourners laid flowers and lit candles at Havel's villa in
Prague. A black flag of mourning flew over Prague Castle, the
presidential seat, and Havel was also remembered at a monument to the
revolution in the capital's downtown. "Mr. President, thank you for
democracy," one note read.
Lech Walesa, former Polish president
and the Nobel Peace Prize-winning founder of the country's
anti-communist Solidarity movement, called Havel "a great fighter for
the freedom of nations and for democracy."
"Amid the turbulence of
modern Europe, his voice was the most consistent and compelling —
endlessly searching for the best in himself and in each of us," said
former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright, who is of Czech
origin.
Havel was his country's first democratically elected
president, leading it through the early challenges of democracy and its
peaceful 1993 breakup into the Czech Republic and Slovakia, though his
image suffered as his people discovered the difficulties of transforming
their society.
He was an avowed peacenik who was close friends
with members of the Plastic People of the Universe, a nonconformist rock
band banned by the communist regime, and whose heroes included rockers
such as Frank Zappa. He never quite shed his flower-child past and often
signed his name with a small heart as a flourish.