Czechoslovak Political Prisoners - über das Projekt Political ...

Hora district council, but I denied everything. I was arrested on February 7, 1952. My trial was
in May 1952. I was sentenced to ten years, got a three-year pardon and was released on February
7, 1959. My mom kept asking for sentence reductions during my time in jail.
Can you describe the interrogation process?
It was relatively calm. They weren’t being really aggressive and they didn’t use swear words
neither. They accused us of knowing Němeček. I didn’t deny it because he was a husband of my
schoolmate. Then they locked us up in a prison in Kutná Hora and I remember the freezing cold
weather that day. The jailor took everything away, even my coat. I had a skirt and they gave
me stockings that kept sliding off my legs. They also gave me pieces of string and I didn’t know
what for. The string was to tie the stockings and hold them up. The jailor was incredibly stupid,
she couldn’t even spell the word “cigarettes” correctly. With me was a vindictive prisoner 10
Ilona Hofferová and she was trying to calm me down when I started to swear and told me that
woman was a chief officer. I had a golden watch and it was stolen. When I think about it, there
were many things I never saw again. So they didn’t beat me or anything in there, but after the
trial they brought us to Pankrác, where it was catastrophic.
Could you describe the cells in Kutná Hora a little bit?
We were about four in our cell: Mrs. Königová, Hofferová, and one more. It was a dreadful
place. There was a “šajzák,” a washing pot, where we went to relieve ourselves. It stank disgustingly.
We had beans for lunch, that was a nightmare, and then we had potatoes, but we
never got meat with that. When they were taking us to the monster-process, my father gave
the jailor sugar to give to me. He believed in sugar the same way I do. The jailor told me, “Missis,
when you are eating potatoes, watch out you have there something from your daddy.”
Dr. Motejl helped me in a similar way when he was employed as a doctor for female prisoners.
About two days before the trial, the jailor brought me some glucose, “The doctor sends you
this. He says you should eat it, it’s nutritious.” The jailor we had there was good. Glucose is also
good for your nerves. First, they gave us white ribbons, those were for district prisoners, but
then before the monster-process, they gave us green ribbons. Mrs. Königová told me that we
would have a trial at the state court. Her husband was executed and she gave me a small loaf
of bread before the trial started. I went to the trial thinking that I would be released. I had no
idea that it would end up the way it did. I was certain that I wouldn’t stay in jail for long. In the
end I served seven years out of ten.
I’d like to go back to your trial. Can you remember the proceedings?
During the monster-process, they were feeding me. It was just a bit of black slurry and a piece
of bread, but for example my father didn’t get anything at all. However, I will never forget the
potato soup, it was nothing special, but we got a scone with the soup. I said, “Commander,
could I send this scone to my father please?” I was allowed to, so I sent it to him. They just gave
them absolutely no food at all, and my father had had a stomach operation.
I shared the cell with Mrs. Königová, as I said before. She told me, “Květuška, when you are
before the court, you tell them everything.” That’s why I wasn’t afraid of them. She gave me
support that I needed so much. They tried to throw shame on America, but I told them, “What
do you know about America, have you been there? It’s true that I haven’t been there, but my
10 Vindictive prisoners – prisoners sentenced on a basis of “vindictive decrees” for cooperation and collaboration with
Nazi Germany. A state prisoner was also called a political prisoner, then there was a category of criminal prisoners.
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