Vyskov town representatives considering withdrawal of Klement Gottwald's honorary citizenship

Vyskov town representatives will decide on Monday whether or not to revoke the honorary citizenship of Czechoslovakia's first Communist president, Klement Gottwald. The revocation was requested by the Confederation of Political Prisoners and has the backing of the town council. The region's young communists have pledged to oppose the proposal. Klement Gottwald's exact birthplace is unknown but he is believed to have been born in the nearby village of Dedice.

During Gottwald's hard-line regime, hundreds were executed and thousands sent to labour camps. After the fall of the Communist regime in 1989, numerous towns and cities decided to strip Klement Gottwald of honorary citizenship.

Author: Dita Asiedu