Vaclav Havel, the internationally-acclaimed playwright who became president of the Czech Republic, has personally suffered the human rights abuses which he now works to eradicate.

In 1989 Havel was arrested with fourteen others who attended a memorial service in Prague for dissident student. Havel's arrest and ensuing imprisionment were his fourth such detailment, the longest one lasting almost four years, all for equally harmless acts. With each arrest Havel became more determined to see the government initiate an honest dialogue with all its citizens, rather than govern by force of will. His activism and long-standing persecution by the government served to escalate Havel to the staus of national hero, and the Czech people elected him as their leader in 1989.

Photo by Pavel Stecha
Music by Philip Boulding, courtesy of Flying Fish Records
Written by Tricia Kellison, Chris Linn, and Ray Kristof