Charter 77

Charter 77 was from 1977 to 1992 a movement for the defense of human rights in Czechoslovakia . The main founders were Vaclav Havel , Ludvík Vaculík , Jan Patočka , Jiří Hájek , Jiří Dienstbier and Pavel Kohout.

Creation [ edit ]
The reason for the emergence of Charter 77 was playing ban the Czechoslovak government in 1976 imposed the underground band Plastic People of the Universe . This brought some troubled Czechoslovaks (mostly artists and intellectuals) contact each other, because it was at odds with the statement of President Gustáv Husák on the Helsinki Conference of 1975 .

In December 1976 signatures were collected on the Declaration of Charter 77, and this was made ​​public on January 1, 1977, with 242 signatures (one person later withdrew his signature). In subsequent years more people signed the statement. In 1980, the number of signatories had grown to 1100 in 1989 to 1300.

The objective of Charter 77 was entering into a constructive dialogue with the government, especially concerning human rights violations. The movement had always simultaneously three spokespersons, which were changed annually.

The philosophical work of Hannah Arendt was a major inspiration for Czech citizens movement who was sent by the leaders of Charter 77.

In the Netherlands, came to support the Foundation for Information on Charter 77, which from 1978 the magazine Information about Charter 77 issued. In this paper were documents of Charter 77 and the VONSpublished (Committee for the Defense of Unfairly Sue), in addition to news about samizdat publications .

Charter 77 was lifted in 1992.