Seventy-five years ago, Milada Horáková was executed by the communist regime following a show trial – the only woman in Czechoslovakia to be sentenced to death and executed for political reasons. Today, she and other victims of political persecution are being commemorated across the Czech Republic.
Several locations throughout the country are marking the anniversary of Horáková’s death on 27 June 1950. The lawyer and politician was executed after a staged trial by the communist authorities. The commemorative events pay tribute not only to her fate, but also to the many others who were persecuted, tortured, imprisoned, or executed for political dissent.
In Prague, the main memorial ceremony begins at 9:30 a.m. at Pětikostelní náměstí, not far from the Chamber of Deputies. There stands a sculpture by Josef Faltus: a lark – a symbol of freedom – perched on the microphone of a lectern like those used in political show trials. Horáková herself stood behind such a lectern during her final trial. Additional events will follow at Újezd.
At 1 p.m., a traditional ceremony will be held at the former prison grounds in Prague-Pankrác, where Horáková was executed, alongside lawyer Oldřich Pecl, gendarmerie officer Jan Buchal, and journalist Záviš Kalandra.
Milada Horáková was a lawyer, a member of parliament for the Česká strana národně sociální, and a staunch defender of women’s rights. She openly opposed the communist regime and was sentenced to death in 1950 on charges of espionage and treason. Despite international appeals – including from Albert Einstein and Winston Churchill – the sentence was carried out.
Historians estimate that approximately 250 people were executed for political reasons following the communist coup in 1948. At least a further 4,500 perished in prisons and labour camps due to abuse or the appalling conditions of detention.
