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NewsMemorial ceremony held at site of notorious communist-era labour camps

From the ArchivesThe Red Elvis in Havana

When I first moved to Prague nearly two decades ago, Czech friends were often amazed that I had never heard of the American singer, Dean Reed. Dubbed the “Red Elvis”, Reed was a household name throughout the Eastern Bloc.  More

Current AffairsTotalitarian Circus brings the bad old days back to Prague

The Cirkus totality (or Totalitarian Circus) was one of the cultural projects chosen to accompany the Czech Republic’s EU presidency. As part of the project, a new textbook about Central Europe’s communist past has been written, there will be a series of plays and performances staged, and a giant ‘communism timeline’ has been unveiled on Prague’s náměstí Republiky. I went along to have a look:  More

From the ArchivesThe Cold War on the streets of Belfast

In the 1970s the Cold War was fought on many fronts. One of them was Northern Ireland, where the tension and violence that raged throughout the decade also became part of the propaganda war between East and West. At the time, Czechoslovak Radio’s correspondent in London was Karel Kvapil, who had entered the radio after the wave of sackings following the 1968 Soviet-led invasion, and later went on to become its last communist era general director. In 1977 Kvapil travelled to Belfast, to report on the Troubles. For part of his programme he spoke with women on a housing estate in a mainly Catholic area of the city:  More

Current AffairsNew facts emerge about 1975 downing of Polish aircraft

New facts have emerged about the downing of a Polish plane by communist Czechoslovakia’s air force in 1975, resulting in the death of a Polish citizen trying to flee to the west. For three decades the circumstances surrounding the incident have been veiled in secrecy, but now the veil has been lifted. More

NewsGovernment approves compensation for student victims of Communism

Talking PointShould an EU body be created to deal with Europe’s Communist and Nazi past?

The Czech EU Presidency last week launched a bid to make a mark on history by creating a Europe-wide platform for the study and recognition of the crimes committed by former Communist regimes. The move has sparked a debate within the Czech Republic and abroad over whether such a step aimed at unlocking the problematic past is desirable.  More

Current AffairsPrague exhibition sheds light on Czechoslovak agents sent into country by West in early part of Cold War

Under communism, hundreds of people died trying to escape across Czechoslovakia’s borders into the West. However, the traffic was not all one way, as in the years following the Communist takeover of 1948, Western states sent Czechoslovak agents into the country to work secretly with the small anti-communist resistance. They are the subject of a new exhibition in Prague.  More

Current AffairsStudents’ 1948 bid to save democracy remembered

In a year which will commemorate students’ role in the Velvet Revolution that brought down the communist regime twenty years ago, a solemn ceremony today marked the last attempt by students to prevent the Communist seizure of power in 1948.  More

Current AffairsInternational anti-totalitarian festival offers expanded programme

The International multicultural festival against totalitarianism, Mene Tekel, has kicked off a week of activities in Prague. It has a wider and richer programme than ever to get the message across that the totalitarian threat is a current as well as an historical issue.  More