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A ceremony to commemorate victims of the former communist regime was held in the Czech capital of Prague recently. Many prominent figures took the opportunity to publicly criticize communist ideology. Our Czech correspondents bring us the story.
The Confederation of Political Prisoners of Czech Republic hold a ceremony in Motol cemetery in Prague, to honor victims of communism in former Czechoslovakia.
Former political prisoners, government representatives, and members of the public all took part in the event.
By the reverent act of laying wreaths they expressed their respect to political prisoners who had been executed or tortured to death.
In their speeches they analyzed communist regimes.
[.]
[Tomas Chalupa, Environment Minister]:
"What communist crimes have in common with crimes of other oppressive tyrannies and despotisms, is the feeling shared by ruling elites and their representatives that they will never have to face justice."
Member of Czech Parliament Gabriela Peckova highlights a common feature of communism and terrorism.
[Gabriela Peckova, Czech MP]:
"Both these phenomena (communism and terrorism) have a common base. The base is an extreme ideology which is enforced by a totalitarian regime in a formal way, and by terrorism in an informal, aggressive way."
The Director of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes expressed a similar idea.
[Daniel Herman, Director, Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes]:
"When communism seizes upon power in most cases it develops into state terrorism, which means that the terroristic violent methods become part of its state apparatus."
The ceremony was held at a cemetery where, after the fall of communism, there were discovered nameless, numbered funeral urns with remains of political prisoners.
NTD News, Prague, Czech Republic.
