Former Czech President And Velvet Revolution Leader Vaclav Havel Dies
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Portrait of Vaclav Havel. (Martin Kozak/Wikimedia Commons)
Havel stood as a symbol of peace against communism in Prague, leading the Velvet Revolution in 1989. An accomplished playwright, his works were banned for two decades after he released Charter 77, an anti-regime manifesto that also earned him jailtime. One of his slogans, "Truth and love will overcome lies and hatred," carried on through a tumultuous transition toward democracy when he lead the country as president.
A number of key political and international figures have spoken out, mourning his passing. From Reuters' obituary:
"His peaceful resistance shook the foundations of an empire, exposed the emptiness of a repressive ideology, and proved that moral leadership is more powerful than any weapon," President Barack Obama said in a statement.
"He played a seminal role in the Velvet Revolution that won his people their freedom and inspired generations to reach for self-determination and dignity in all parts of the world."
…"I am extremely moved," an emotional Prime Minister Petr Necas told Czech Television when told of Havel's death.
"He was a symbol and the face of our republic, and he is one of the most prominent figures of the politics of the last and the start of this century. His departure is a huge loss. He still had a lot to say in political and social life."
…"He was a great and well-deserving man and will be greatly missed. May he rest in peace," said Polish dissident leader Lech Walesa, himself a Nobel laureate. "He certainly deserved a Nobel Peace Prize, but in this world not everything is just. He was above all a theoretician who fought with the word and pen."
…"The man has died but the legacy of his poems, plays and above all his ideas and personal example will remain alive for many generations to come," said European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.
"As he said himself in 1975 in an open letter to Gustav Husak, then president of the communist regime: 'Life cannot be destroyed for good, neither can history be brought entirely to a halt.'"
Havel ultimately succumbed to respiratory illness, which has plagued him since undergoing cancer surgery in the mid-1990s.
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