Vladimír Hucín
Encyclopedia
Vladimír Hučín is a Czech political celebrity and dissident of both communist and post/communist era.
In the 1970s and 80's he used explosives to destroy various propaganda symbols of communism and distributed anti-communist leaflets; he got caught and was tried four times, received various forms of punishment including imprisonment; he served a grand total of 40 months in prison. After his release from prison in 1987 he signed the Charter 77
proclamation. Even when he wasn't imprisoned he suffered extensive discrimination from the Czech communist authorities and their Secret Police (StB
). He was eventually rehabilitated of all the communist era convictions and they were rendered null and void.
After the so called Velvet Revolution
of 1989 he worked in the Civic Commissions (these were administering clearances to the members of the ordinary Police force) and later was nominated by the Confederation of Political Prisoners to work at the Security Information Service (BIS), a Czech intelligence agency and once admitted there, he achieved a rank of Captain and was regarded as one of the its best officers.
In 2001, when he came to the conclusion that an ultra-left wingers of the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia
were behind several unsolved explosions that took place in his home town of Prerov
(of which he is an honorary citizen), he was fired from BIS and soon after that arrested and imprisoned on 7 unsubstantiated charges. He effectively became a political prisoner of the allegedly democratic regime of the president Václav Havel
and government of the Czech Social Democratic Party
. He was held in custody only few days short of a year and spent a portion of that time in a psychiatric hospital. In spite of numerous requests the then-president Havel refused to look into the matter and grant him clemency, even though Havel was well-known for his extensive use of clemency while in office. Similarly several petitions with thousands of signatures to the Czech Senate went unheeded.
Hučín's trial ran for five years without public being admitted into the court room (on pretense that the court was dealing with classified materials) and on one occasion even being ejected by a brutal force from the court house. In November 2005 he was acquitted of all charges, an appellate court confirmed the verdict on April 21. 2006 in Olomouc
. During those 5 years, while out of the custody, he could not find any work because prospective employers feared the persecution by the authorities. After he was acquitted, there was no compensation or even an apology coming to Vladimir Hučín from the Czech Republic or BIS for his wrongful imprisonment. Any documments related to his case are effectively closed to the public (as well as to himself) and even Parliamentary Security Commission was not allowed to see them by the BIS.
Vladimír Hučín tried (unsuccessfully) for a seat in the Senate in 2006 and again in 2008.
Through his website and through the interviews with the media Vladimír Hučín continues to point out the persons he deems unfit for their public office.
He co-authored two books which describe his ordeal, "Není to o mně ale o nás" (It's about us, not about me) and "Hrdinům se neděkuje" (Heroes don't receive thanks); especially the first one is a plentiful source of information about him and his work.
A short docummentary film called "Pravdě podobný příběh Vladimíra Hučína" (Truth-like story of Vladimir Hucin) which describes Hucin's post-comminst era ordeal has been made by Martin Vadas.
Czech Senator Jaromír Štětina
dedicated one chapter of his book "Brutalita moci" (Brutality of Power) to the case of Vladimir Hucin; in it he extensively describes not only the Hucin's case but also how the Parliamentary Security Commission was treated by the BIS.
In the 1970s and 80's he used explosives to destroy various propaganda symbols of communism and distributed anti-communist leaflets; he got caught and was tried four times, received various forms of punishment including imprisonment; he served a grand total of 40 months in prison. After his release from prison in 1987 he signed the Charter 77
Charter 77
Charter 77 was an informal civic initiative in communist Czechoslovakia from 1976 to 1992, named after the document Charter 77 from January 1977. Founding members and architects were Václav Havel, Jan Patočka, Zdeněk Mlynář, Jiří Hájek, and Pavel Kohout. Spreading the text of the document was...
proclamation. Even when he wasn't imprisoned he suffered extensive discrimination from the Czech communist authorities and their Secret Police (StB
STB
STB is an acronym that can mean:* Sacrae Theologiae Baccalaureus – Bachelor of Sacred Theology* Set-top box – a television device that converts signals to viewable images* Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP -- a law firm...
). He was eventually rehabilitated of all the communist era convictions and they were rendered null and void.
After the so called Velvet Revolution
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution or Gentle Revolution was a non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia that took place from November 17 – December 29, 1989...
of 1989 he worked in the Civic Commissions (these were administering clearances to the members of the ordinary Police force) and later was nominated by the Confederation of Political Prisoners to work at the Security Information Service (BIS), a Czech intelligence agency and once admitted there, he achieved a rank of Captain and was regarded as one of the its best officers.
In 2001, when he came to the conclusion that an ultra-left wingers of the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia
Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia
The Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia , abbreviated to KSČM, is a political party in the Czech Republic. It has a membership of 82,994 and is a member party of the European United Left - Nordic Green Left bloc in the European Parliament...
were behind several unsolved explosions that took place in his home town of Prerov
Prerov
Přerov is a town in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic where the Bečva river flows through. Přerov is a statute town . It has population of about 47,373 to January 2, 2008. Přerov is about 22 km south west of Olomouc. In the past it was a major crossroad in the heart of Moravia in the...
(of which he is an honorary citizen), he was fired from BIS and soon after that arrested and imprisoned on 7 unsubstantiated charges. He effectively became a political prisoner of the allegedly democratic regime of the president Václav Havel
Václav Havel
Václav Havel is a Czech playwright, essayist, poet, dissident and politician. He was the tenth and last President of Czechoslovakia and the first President of the Czech Republic . He has written over twenty plays and numerous non-fiction works, translated internationally...
and government of the Czech Social Democratic Party
Czech Social Democratic Party
The Czech Social Democratic Party is a social-democratic political party in the Czech Republic.-History:The Social Democratic Czechoslavonic party in Austria was founded on 7 April 1878 in Austria-Hungary representing the Kingdom of Bohemia in the Austrian parliament...
. He was held in custody only few days short of a year and spent a portion of that time in a psychiatric hospital. In spite of numerous requests the then-president Havel refused to look into the matter and grant him clemency, even though Havel was well-known for his extensive use of clemency while in office. Similarly several petitions with thousands of signatures to the Czech Senate went unheeded.
Hučín's trial ran for five years without public being admitted into the court room (on pretense that the court was dealing with classified materials) and on one occasion even being ejected by a brutal force from the court house. In November 2005 he was acquitted of all charges, an appellate court confirmed the verdict on April 21. 2006 in Olomouc
Olomouc
Olomouc is a city in Moravia, in the east of the Czech Republic. The city is located on the Morava river and is the ecclesiastical metropolis and historical capital city of Moravia. Nowadays, it is an administrative centre of the Olomouc Region and sixth largest city in the Czech Republic...
. During those 5 years, while out of the custody, he could not find any work because prospective employers feared the persecution by the authorities. After he was acquitted, there was no compensation or even an apology coming to Vladimir Hučín from the Czech Republic or BIS for his wrongful imprisonment. Any documments related to his case are effectively closed to the public (as well as to himself) and even Parliamentary Security Commission was not allowed to see them by the BIS.
Vladimír Hučín tried (unsuccessfully) for a seat in the Senate in 2006 and again in 2008.
Through his website and through the interviews with the media Vladimír Hučín continues to point out the persons he deems unfit for their public office.
He co-authored two books which describe his ordeal, "Není to o mně ale o nás" (It's about us, not about me) and "Hrdinům se neděkuje" (Heroes don't receive thanks); especially the first one is a plentiful source of information about him and his work.
A short docummentary film called "Pravdě podobný příběh Vladimíra Hučína" (Truth-like story of Vladimir Hucin) which describes Hucin's post-comminst era ordeal has been made by Martin Vadas.
Czech Senator Jaromír Štětina
Jaromír Štetina
Jaromír Štětina is Czech journalist, writer and politician. He is most known as war correspondent from conflict areas of former Soviet Union.Štětina studied University of Economics, Prague...
dedicated one chapter of his book "Brutalita moci" (Brutality of Power) to the case of Vladimir Hucin; in it he extensively describes not only the Hucin's case but also how the Parliamentary Security Commission was treated by the BIS.