Czechoslovak Political Prisoners - über das Projekt Political ...

Was your family persecuted in any way?
My sister wasn’t allowed to take her graduation exam and it took her five years before she
could take it. Then she wanted to enter medical school and that took her another four years to
be accepted. She wanted to be a dentist and in that year they were accepting more dentists so
they took her. My mom wasn’t affected much because after a year and half of unemployment
she was the head of a physical therapy department in a hospital in Pardubice. Professor Řehor
got her a position there and then when they built a new hospital in Chrudim she commuted
daily from our hometown, Městec. There she started doing neurology as well because there
was either one or sometimes no neurologists. She worked as a neurology consultant as the
hospital needed. So it was okay for her.
Do you remember your prison number?
Of course, AO6997. That was my number when I came to Jáchymov. According to this number
you could find out on which day exactly you came. These files still exist as there are about
twenty thick books because there are about 16,000 names of people who went through that.
Were you officially rehabilitated?
Of course, without the rehabilitation I couldn’t have any rights to claim. I was rehabilitated
in 1990 or 1991. I handed in the demand already in 1968, but no one really took care of that
at that time.
What comes into your head when I say Jáchymov?
Well opposing things, it was a great school for me on one side of knowledge or moral things
in total, but on the other hand I paid for it when I consider my health. I can’t tell you that
I didn’t count on being sentenced. I would lie then, because I was aware that what I was doing
could be dangerous for me. I really expected everything would work out fine and I would have
time to escape.
What helped you to survive?
All kinds of work and my interest in many things helped. I didn’t believe that Communism
would fall during my lifetime or in 1968 that the regime would get better. That was impossible
and I was always realistic about that.
Do you think that we devote enough attention to this historical period?
A minimum of it and when we do, it is really misrepresented. First, at school kids aren’t
taught the history the way it should be taught. In the best case they finish with WWI. Also
imagine which teachers were there and how were they hired. There were some normal people
among them, but the majority came from communist families and the families that didn’t want
to shit into their own nest. The same thing works for historians. Don’t tell me that during the
eighteen years after the Velvet Revolution there was any solid material written out that could
be true and accurate. Have you seen anything like that? I haven’t yet!
Do you have any recommendation for the young people who are trying to find their way of
living, how to go through life with heads held high?
I think this recommendation is really simple. Live in the way that you wouldn’t do any harm
to anyone else.
Thank you for the interview.
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