Formal presentation of the Václav Benda Award

On 16 November 2011, the Václav Benda Award and commemorative medals “For Freedom and Democracy” were formally presented at the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes. The commemorative medal “For Freedom and Democracy” of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes was awarded to the following people:

Ursula Möller

The commemorative medal of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes “For Freedom and Democracy“ is hereby awarded to Ms Ursula Möller, in memoriam. Ms Ursula Möller contributed significantly to helping the Czechoslovak dissent. In 1969, she came to the country with her husband, the Ambassador of the Kindgom of Denmark to Czechoslovakia. She actively supported the opposition, helping Pavel Tigrid, representative of the Czechoslovak exile, in maintaining contacts with the domestic opposition, she was his contact person and with great personal courage, she transported large amounts of materials across the border. Even after leaving Prague in 1974, she continued travelling to the country and maintaining the contacts of the democractic exile with the Czechoslovak opposition. The medal will be presented to the Grandson of Ms Möller, Mr Jason Möller Tuxen.

Bohumila Marie Langrová

The commemorative medal of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes “For Freedom and Democracy“ is hereby awarded to Sister Bohumila Marie Langrová. Sister Langrová was the Abbess of the congregation of the Merciful sisters of St. Carlo Borromeo, a fighter against the communist regime and long-term political prisoner. In 1952, she was sentenced to twenty years in a staged show trial. She was released upon the amnesty of 1960. The medal will be presented to the Abbess of the congregation of the Merciful sisters of Carlo Borromeo, Sister Bohuslava Marie Kubačáková.

Jan ter Laak

The commemorative medal of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes “For Freedom and Democracy“ is hereby awarded to Mr Jan ter Laak, in memoriam. Mr Jan ter Laak, a Dutch theologist, priest and activist became involved with the work of religious organisations for peace and human rights starting in 1968. He became a secretary of the ecumenical Peace Council, at the same time working in the catholic Pax Christi at the same time. In 1969, he made his first trip to Czechoslovakia. The impulse was the death, by self-immolation, of Jan Palach and its echo in the Czech society. Since 1983, he worked as the Secretary General of the Pax Christi movement. From his position, he made sure that in the Western debates on peace, stability and human rights in Europe, the voice of dissidents was heard. Under Jan ter Laak`s leadership, the Pax Christi movement actively supported the democratisation process in the postcommunist countries after the end of the cold war. The medal will be presented to Mr Ben Schennink, representative of Pax Christi.

Rudolf Beran

The commemorative medal of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes “For Freedom and Democracy“ is hereby awarded to Mr Rudolf Beran, in memoriam. Mr Rudolf Beran was the chairman of the strongest political party of pre-war Czechoslovakia. For several months between the Munich Agreement and the Nazi occupation, he became the prime minister of Czechoslovakia. He was a long-term political prisoner of both the Nazis and the communists and died in 1954 in the Leopoldov prison. The medal will be presented to Mr Jan Beran.

Václav Žatecký

The commemorative medal of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes “For Freedom and Democracy“ is hereby awarded to Mr Václav Žatecký, in memoriam. Mr Žatecký was a veteran of the anti-Nazi and anti-communist resistance. In 1940, he joined the RAF. After his return to Czechoslovakia, he was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment in 1949. He took part in a failed escape attempt from the uranium slave labor mine in Jáchymov. He was released from prison only after 15 years. The medal will be presented to the Mayor of the Community Novosedly nad Nežárkou Mr Filip Mencl.

Karol Pajer

The commemorative medal of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes “For Freedom and Democracy“ is hereby awarded to Mr Karol Pajer, in memoriam. Mr Karol Pajer was involved in the anti-Fascist resistance in Slovakia, becoming a member of the Czechoslovak army abroad in France in 1940. After the French capitulation, he was involved in aid work for abandoned children, especially from Jewish families, women, and the wounded, founding a Christian childrens` home. In 1943, he joined a French partisan unit and died in combat a year later. He was decorated with the French Military cross with silver band in memoriam. The medal will be presented to the grandson, Mr Karol Pajer.

Charles Katek

The commemorative medal of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes “For Freedom and Democracy“ is hereby awarded to Mr Charles Katek, in memoriam. Mr Charles Katek worked for the Central Intelligence Agency. From August 1942, he served the American intelligence agency Office of Strategic Services, in December 1943, he was in charge of the Czech Desk and later the Czech Section of the Secret Intelligence Branch OSS London. He cooperated with the Czechoslovak military intelligence service, the Ministry of Interior and other institutions of the Czechoslovak exile establishment. In the middle of April 1945, he became commander of the intelligence group of the 3. US American army, in the first days of May 1945, he entered the territory of Czechoslovakia and during the Prague uprising he performed intelligence duties from the town of Beroun. After the end of WWII, Major Charles Katek was in charge of the OSS branch in Prague (Czech Unit OSS Mission Germany), covered by the activity of the American Military Mission at the Embassy of the United States of America. After the establishment of the Strategic Services Unit in 1946 he became military attaché and finally, after the foundation of the Central Intelligence Agency in 1947, the CIA Station Chief in Prague. After the communist coup in 1948, he was expelled from Czechoslovakia on 18 March, 1948. He then started intelligence work against the communist bloc in cooperation with representatives of the Czechoslovak exile. During his station in Vienna in 1962, the Czechoslovak state security was plotting to kidnap him from Austria.

Marie Jandová

The commemorative medal of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes “For Freedom and Democracy“ is hereby awarded to Ms Marie Jandová. Ms Marie Jandová is a fighter against the communist regime and a former political prisoner. She was imprisoned at the age of seventeen and sentenced to eighteen years. She is one of the 12 courageous female policital prisoners who wrote a letter to UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjöld in 1956, demanding that Czechoslovakia observe political rights and freedoms. The letter was of course intercepted and Ms Jandová was released from prison, unbroken and with tuberculosis, at the age of 29 in 1960. The medal will be presented to Ms Marie Jandová in person.

Jelena Mašínová

The commemorative medal of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes “For Freedom and Democracy“ is hereby awarded to Ms Jelena Mašínová. Ms Mašínová is a renowned screenwriter and dramatist, a Charter 77 signatory. She was persecuted by the State security for her political activities, charged with criminal offences and forced to emigrate as a part the operation „Sanation“ of the State security service in the years 1978-1979. She continued supporting the dissent while in exile. The medal will be presented to Ms Jelena Mašínová in person.

Jürgen Serke

The commemorative medal of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes “For Freedom and Democracy“ is hereby awarded to Mr Jürgen Serke. Mr Jürgen Serke is a renowned German journalist and writer. He has worked, among others, for the weekly magazine Der Stern and later on for the daily newspaper Die Welt. His field of interest was the dissent in the Eastern bloc. He is the author of several publications on the topic, in which he informed the world public about the persecution of the opponents of the totalitarian communist regimes and mapped the fates of persecuted authors. He helped the Czechoslovak dissent by establishing contacts with European intellectual and political elites and by gaining their support. The medal will be presented to Mr Jürgen Serke in person.

Michal Holeček

The commemorative medal of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes “For Freedom and Democracy“ is hereby awarded to Mr Michal Holeček. Mr Michal Holeček is a representative of the Catholic dissent and a political prisoner from 1984, co-organizer of meetings of the Christian wing of Charter 77 with the Catholic underground in Prague. He was a co-founder of the Christian democratic Party. The medal will be presented to Mr Michal Holeček in person.

Eduard Zimmel

The commemorative medal of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes “For Freedom and Democracy“ is hereby awarded to Mr Eduard Zimmel. Mr Zimmel was a prisoner in the Dachau concentration camp in 1943-1945 for refusing to serve in the Wehrmacht. He became a collaborator of an anti-communist intelligence network. In 1950, he began helping to escort people to and from Austria together with two other so-called „agent-walkers“. He was sentenced in 1952 to eight years and spent 7 years in communist imprisonment. The medal will be presented to Mr Zimmel`s wife, Ms Bohumila Zimmelová.

Irena Šimonová

The commemorative medal of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes “For Freedom and Democracy“ is hereby awarded to Ms Irena Šimonová. Ms Šimonová is a fighter against the communist regime and a former political prisoner. In 1949, she was sentenced to twenty-five years of imprisonment for warning a list of lawyers of their upcoming arrest. In 1950, she and a fellow inmate managed to escape and to walk from East Bohemia to East Germany in eleven days. Ms Vlachová was released from prison upon an amnesty in 1960. During the Prague spring, she founded a regional branch of an important organisation of former political prisoners. In 1968, she left the country. The medal will be presented to Ms Irena Šimonová in person.

Mons. László Burián

The commemorative medal of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes “For Freedom and Democracy“ is hereby awarded to Msgr. László Burian. Msgr. Burian is a former political prisoner and catholic priest. He was a pastor of Hungarians deported to the Czech Republic in 1947. He was forced to leave to Slovakia a year later. In 1951, he was sentenced to two years in prison in a trial for an attempted border crossing of young theologists. He was then only allowed to work as a manual labourer. The medal will be presented to Msgr László Burian in person.

Father Jan Rybář

The commemorative medal of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes “For Freedom and Democracy“ is hereby awarded to Father Jan Rybář. Father Rybář was sent to a forced labour camp together with other theology students in 1950. In 1960, he was sentenced to two years` imprisonment, during which he was secretly ordained. In 1969, he started his parish work, under surveillance of the state security service. In 1990-2004, he served as Deacon in Eastern Bohemia. He has his parish in the region until today. The medal will be presented to Father Jan Rybář in person.

Hana Truncová

The commemorative medal of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes “For Freedom and Democracy“ is hereby awarded to Ms Hana Truncová. Ms Truncová is a fighter against the communist regime and a former political prisoner. She was sentenced in 1951 to thirteen years for helping people escape the country. She took part in a hunger strike in an East Bohemian prison against the inhuman treatment of prisoners. She was released in 1960 on an 8-year probation. Ms Truncová is a member of the Confederation of Political Prisoners and is very active in educating and awareness raising especially of the youth about the communist totalitarian dictatorship. The medal will be presented to Ms Hana Truncová in person.

Miroslav Vodrážka

The commemorative medal of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes “For Freedom and Democracy“ is hereby awarded to Mr Miroslav Vodrážka. Mr Mirek Vodrážka is an important personality of the Czechoslovak underground. In 1977, he wrote the slogan „God is here“ on the statute of St. Wenceslas in the centre of Prague, for which he was sentenced for political reasons to five years of psychiatry surveillance. Since 1978, he contributed to the publication and dissemination of forbidden literature, samizdats and own poetry, essays and music. He organized so-called apartment seminars and lectures of the underground intellectual elite, all under constant persecution by the State security services. The medal will be presented to Mr Mirek Vodrážka in person.

Ret. Lt. Col. Štefan Miklánek

The commemorative medal of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes “For Freedom and Democracy“ is hereby awarded to Retired Lieutenant Colonel Štefan Miklánek. Ret. Lt. Col. Štefan Miklánek was a member of the anti-Nazi resistance. As a member of the Czechoslovak army abroad, he took part in the fighting on the Marne and the Loire in 1940. In 1944 he participated in the siege of Dunquerque. The communist regime forced Mr Miklánek to work as a labourer in the heavy industry. On the 60th anniversary of the allied landing in Normandy in 2004, Ret. Lt. Col. Štefan Miklánek received the highest French distinction, the Order of the Legion of Honour from President Jacques Chirac. The medal will be presented to Mr Štefan Miklánek at a later occasion.

Miloš Zemánek

The commemorative medal of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes “For Freedom and Democracy“ is hereby awarded to Mr Miloš Zemánek. Mr Zemánek was a member of the anti-Nazi and anti-Communist resistance. In 1944, he joined a partisan brigade to fight the German occupation. In 1947, he joined the mlitary academy. He was later thrown out from the army and managed to leave the country. He created a successful intelligence network, crossing the borders to Czechoslovakia fifteen times. In 1949, he was arrested, tortured and sentenced to lifetime imprisonment. He was relased in 1965. The medal will be presented to Mr Miloš Zemánek at a later occasion.

Zdeněk Zemánek

The commemorative medal of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes “For Freedom and Democracy“ is hereby awarded to Mr Zdeněk Zemánek. Mr Zdeněk Zemánek was a collaborator of an anti-communist intelligence network. After WWII, he was politically active. In 1949, he helped his brother Miloš Zemánek escape to Germany and supported his further activities. In 1949, Zdeněk Zemánek was sentenced to 16 years of imprisonment. He was released in 1960. The medal will be presented to Mr Zdeněk Zemánek at a later occasion.