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

A memorial was held on Saturday at the site of notorious communist-era labour camps in Jáchymov. Dozens of former political prisoners forced to work in uranium mines in the west Bohemian town attended Saturday’s ceremony. In a speech, Prime Minister Jan Fischer expressed admiration for those who had defied the communist regime. Mr Fischer, who was a member of the Communist Party throughout the 1980s, said everybody else would have to come to terms with their pasts. Eighteen labour camps linked to uranium mines were built in Jáchymov in the 1950s. Of the thousands interned there, hundreds did not survive.

Author: Ian Willoughby