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International Conference Proceedings International Conference Prague, 2 – 3 June, 2008 Proceedings The publication of the Proceedings was kindly supported by Jiří Liška, Vice-chairman of the Senate, Parliament of the Czech Republic The book is being published with the support of the European Affairs Information Department of the Offi ce of the Government of the Czech Republic ROBERT SCHUMAN FOUNDATION within the European Library programme. FOR COOPERATION BETWEEN CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATS IN EUROPE The EC’s Representations in the EU Member states are integrated within the Press and Communication Service of the Directorate General Communication in Brussels. The Offi ces are representing the Commission in all 27 member states of the EU. Key tasks and priorities are: Cooperation with media – EC Representation in the Czech Republic interacts with the national and regional media, informs about the EC’s activities, explains its policies and provides general information about EU affairs. Political networking – EC Representation monitors and provides intelligence to the Commission on political, economic and social developments in Czech Republic, thus providing the Commission with feedback and stimulating informed debate on European Affairs. General information to the citizen – Representation provides general information on the EU and helps to implement major information activities of the EC in the Czech Republic. Representation co-operate also with European Parliament’s “Information Point” in Prague. Representations in the European Union ensure the Commission’s direct contact not only with politicians but also with citizen and contribute to effective information fl ows between Commission, other European institutions, national authorities and the media. Among new information activities of the Commission in Czech language are: toll free telephone line EUROPE DIRECT 00800 6 7 8 9 10 11 Proceedings of the International Conference which took place on 2–3 June, 2008 in the Main Hall of the Senate, Parliament of the Czech Republic hosted by the Committee on Education, Science, Culture, Human Rights and Petitions of the Senate, Parliament of the Czech Republic under the auspices of Mr Alexandr Vondra, Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs “Communism is a common European legacy, together with fascism and Nazism. Until Europe accepts its common past and comprehends its common responsibility, it cannot be united.“ European Conscience and Communism Preface The twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Iron Curtain is approaching which brought about the end of the Cold War in Europe. A fi rst new generation has come of age in societies freed from communist dictatorship that lasted over forty years. In the last two decades of establishing democracy and market economies in Central and Eastern Europe, coming to terms with the traumas of the past was not a principal issue in society. With growing historical distance, however, the time is coming to face our past honestly, to assess the nature of the crimes committed by communist regimes and to deal with the legacy of totalitarianism. We need to reach a historically objective understanding of European history of the last century. Thanks to the accession of former communist countries to the European Union, this debate is now possible on a common level. Indeed, in the past few years, European democratic institutions - notably the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the European Parliament - have started addressing the legacy of totalitarianism and communism in Europe and stressing the need for further attention to the issue (Resolution of the PACE condemning the crimes of totalitarian regimes, Resolution of the EP on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of WWII, Resolution of the EP on the 50th anniversary of the Hungarian uprising in 1956 etc.). This conference, held in the heart of Europe once shut away behind an iron curtain by the communists, wants to help to carry the European historical and political discussion a step further. Jana Hybášková, Martin Mejstřík (from the conference programme) Published by © 2009 Martin Mejstřík Všehrdova 19, 118 00 Praha I Edited by Neela Winkelmann–Heyrovská and Martin Mejstřík Photographs from the conference © 2008 Tomki Němec (photo of Eduard Stehlík – private) Illustration photographs from the building of the former communist prison in Uherské Hradiště (Czech Republic) by Petr Blažek Transcripts of sound recordings by Jarmila Kopečková, Jana Váňová, Lily Walter Translations by Veronika Sysalová, Neela Winkelmann–Heyrovská, Evan Mellander, Kryštof Chamonikolas, Libor Trejdl, Doug Arellanes and Karolina Kroupova Jelinkova Copyediting by Evan Mellander, Kryštof Chamonikolas Graphic layout © 2009 Grafi cké studio Hozák Cover Design © Ivan Hozák, 2009 Printed by Omikron Praha, U Elektry 650, Praha IX April 2009, 100 copies, 1st edition, 1st reprint ISBN 978-80-904334-0-3 European Conscience and Communism European Conscience and Communism Contents Tuesday 3 June, 2008 – Institute Preface of European Conscience . 81 Jana Hybášková, Martin Mejstřík . 3 Opening lecture Monday 2 June, 2008 – Crimes of Communism . 7 Coping with the National Socialist Past in Germany Michael Kißener . 83 Welcome Jaromír Jermář . 9 Session I Coming to Terms with Communism Greeting from a Western European Perspective . 91 Alexandr Vondra (read by Jiří Liška) . 11 Joachim Gauck . 93 Christopher Beazley . 101 Introduction Jana Hybášková, Martin Mejstřík . 13 Session II Coming to Terms with Communism from a World Perspective . 107 Inaugural address Lee Edwards . 109 Václav Havel . 17 Emanuelis Zingeris . 115 Session I Session III Witnesses of Crimes of World Communism . 19 Institutes of the Nation’s Memory in Germany, Poland Ivonka Survilla . 21 and the Czech Republic . 119 Alexander Podrabinek . 25 Hans Altendorf . 121 Tseten Samdup Chhoekyapa . 29 Łukasz Kamiński . 127 Pavel Žáček . 133 Session II Witnesses of Crimes of Communism in Czechoslovakia . 33 Session IV Jiří Stránský . 35 Initiatives in Europe – Institute of European Conscience . 141 Růžena Krásná . 37 Göran Lindblad . 143 Václav Vaško . 41 Tunne Kelam . 149 Jana Hybášková . 153 Session III Classification of Communist Crimes from a Czech Perspective . 47 Saint Wenceslas Hymn . 157 Jiří Liška . 49 Prague Declaration . 158 Eduard Stehlík . 53 Miroslav Lehký . 65 Photo Gallery . 163 Session IV Session Chairs . 169 Classification of Communist Crimes from a European Perspective . 69 Documents . 170 Jüri Luik . 71 Zianon Pazniak . 77 About the Conference . 174 European Conscience and Communism European Conscience and Communism – Jaromír Jermář JAROMÍR JERMÁŘ Welcome Vice-chairman of the Human Rights Committee, Senate, Parliament of the Czech Republic Ladies and gentlemen, dear guests, On behalf of the Committee on Education, Science, Culture, Human Rights and Petitions of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, let me welcome you at the conference “European Conscience and Communism”. I would like to cordially welcome all the representatives of Embassies, representatives of European institutions and the rest of the audience but let me especially welcome Václav Havel, former president of Czechoslovakia who has been, is and will be a symbol of the pre-November struggle for freedom. I think that none of you participating in this meeting needs to be reminded of the meaning and importance of history. I am a historian by profession, therefore I know that history is extremely important so that we do not repeat the mistakes which we committed in the past. It still holds true that who does not remember history will have to relive it. It is my wish that we may remember not only the positive sides but especially also the negative things that occured in our past so that we do not repeat them any more. I wish you all successful deliberations, I wish that history always be evaluated as objectively as possible and I wish that all of us continue to live in a democratic system which we have been enjoying for.
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