Czechoslovak Political Prisoners - über das Projekt Political ...

What was your release like?
Well, I wrapped all my things I owned into a blanket and had to hand in all things I got from
the prison at the sick room. When I was leaving I left my camp money to Terezka and a kilo
of sugar to Johanka 16 . At the sick room, I got my civilian clothes. I left for home and the girls
stayed. The jailor took me to a small gate, behind which inmates unloaded coal. My father,
who came to meet me there, told me, “Look, they are saluting you.” My father came, he had
been at home for almost a year, he was released after serving half of his sentence.
What was it like coming back home?
When I came back, people avoided and turned their back on me. I lived with my parents, but
an informer was sent into the village. Her name was Kučerová and she was eavesdropping on
us and sent the information further. She could do whatever she wished in the village. Once her
husband broke my arm. They planted them here when my mom was alone here. They stayed
until I got married. Not only us, but everybody feared them. It was like living in a second
prison. When I came back I went to the job center and said that I was looking for a job, but
commensurate with my education. So they told me, “We can offer you Mira, where you could
do sowing or the state farm or the brewery.” I applied for the Mira job, I left my ID there and
was supposed to pick it up two days later. However, I had had an argument with Kučerová before
and she made it impossible for me to get that job. So I went to work in the brewery, but
that was no good for me because my nose kept bleeding and I was wet all the time. So I had to
go to work in JZD 17 (Unified Cooperative Farm) in Sedlice. I wanted to work in the garden, but
after about two weeks the administrator Mr. Medřický came and said, “I am sorry, but I cannot
do otherwise, but send you to work in the field with the rest of the women. This work is too
posh for you.” So I started to work in the fields. Once, on my way from work, it was the season
for hoeing potatoes, the administrator ordered me to take a basket full of potatoes. I really
appreciated it at that time, as we were quite poor. When I returned I didn’t even have a bed
and had to sleep on the floor.
Did you have to report yourself after coming back?
When I came back I got an invitation to come to the secret police to get my ID, as I didn’t have
it. The policeman told me, “Sit down here and wait for the superintendent.” He came and told
me that he would like to have a word with me, “You could cooperate with us and get various
privileges in return...” He was telling me all this and I replied that I would think about it, but
was saying to myself, “I don’t give a damn. Me, cooperating with such rubble? You took everything
away from me: my health, my property, and I will cooperate with you on top of this?”
Later, I didn’t sign anything and as a consequence didn’t get a better job.
How did the people in the village treat you?
That varied. For example, when my father came back from prison, my mom didn’t have even
a potato, or a plate or a spoon. So my dad took a basket and went to see a farmer, to whom he
had once helped when his farm had caught fire. He went to him thinking that he didn’t want
anything for free, that he would pay for everything. The farmer told him, “I’d rather give it
to the pigs!” Some people behaved towards us as towards criminals, but on the other hand,
some of them were helpful. Once my father told me to take money and go to Mr. Linek to buy
16 Hana Truncová
17 JZD – Unified Cooperative Farm. It was supposed to simulate Soviet collective farms. Many farmers were forcd to give
up their land and machines for the organizing of Unified Cooperative Farms.
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