Related articles
From the ArchivesAfter Palach: fears and hopes
In last week’s From the Archives we followed the tragic last days of the
student Jan Palach, who on January 16 1969 set himself alight in protest
against growing apathy in the face of the Soviet invasion five months
earlier. The whole country was in shock. Such a drastic and violent
sacrifice had little precedent in modern Czech and Slovak history, and
perhaps for just that reason Palach immediately became a symbol of the
country’s lost liberty and a rallying cry for those who still hoped to
save something of the reforms of 1968. Those in power had to be cautious;
they were well aware that Palach’s legacy could be explosive. More
From the ArchivesThe last days of Jan Palach
On the evening of January 16 1969, Czechoslovak Radio broadcast a
disturbing item of news: “Today at around 3 pm, 21-year-old J.P., a
student at the Philosophical Faculty suffered serious burns on Wenceslas
Square. He poured an as yet unknown flammable liquid over himself and set
his clothes alight resulting in severe burns.” More
Czech HistoryNew website presents the life and sacrifice of Jan Palach
It was one of the most remarkable single acts in Czechoslovak history, one
that still today evokes mingled shock and admiration. Now the documents,
reports, essays and films relating to the self-immolation of Jan Palach -
five months after the invasion of his country by Warsaw Pact forces – is
available to the public through a new website launched to commemorate the
life and sacrifice of the young activist. More
Current AffairsJan Palach statue promised by Prague city hall
Czechs are marking the 42nd anniversary of the death of student martyr Jan
Palach. He set himself on fire and later died in protest against the Soviet
led invasion of 1968 and retreat from the reforms, the so-called
‘normalisation’ that followed. The anniversary has relaunched hopes and
promises that Prague could finally get a statue to mark the self sacrifice
of the 20-year-old student. More
+1
