Freedom for Ladislav Lis afraid that he will not be released from prison when his five-year term is up next May.
Uhl's wife, Anna Sabotova explained this in a letter to the participants in the Prague Peace Conference, in which she gave an account of her last visit in May and Petr Uhl On July 21, almost exactly 15 years after the Prague Spring was crushed by Warsaw Pact troops, Ladislav Lis was sentenced to 14 months in prison and three years of house arrest.
His case is a timely reminder that repression remains the main weapon of the Czechoslovak authorities those who refuse to accept the "normalization" that followed the occupation of the country and who say so openly.
former spokesperson of Charter 77, was arrested in May 1979 at the same time as Petr Uhl and Vaclav Havel. he was released six months later without being tried. On January 5, 1983, he was taken in for questioning. From then on, he was kept incommunicado. Despite all find out where he was being held
Clearly, the authorities intended to keep Lis from having any contact with the World Peace Conference that was held in Prague at the end of June. indicated by the explicit threats the secret police made to Lis' wife and his friends in Charter 77 about what would happen if they tried to get appeals on his behalf to the journalists and delegates in Prague for this conference.
Once the last journalist was gone, Lis was given a "streamlined" trial. There were not even any formal rights of de-
The Czechoslovak authorities even refused to grant visas to French lawyers who were ready to defend the imprisoned Charter 77 spokesperson.
-which comes after the release without trial of a dozen oppositionists arrested following the seizure of a station wagon bringing illegal literature from France in 1981 - seems to reflect the irritation of the authorities at the fact that Charter 77 activity is continuing despite the repression against its members.
Despite heavy prison sentences, constant police harassment, and the forced exile of historic opposition figures, in recent months. Charter 77 has shown its continuing vitality. In particular, it has intervened around the question of peace.
Not only are the authorities still far from silencing Charter 77, they have not succeeded either in limiting the opposition to this "historic" group. For example, their attacks against the cultural underground, which is very influential among the youth, do not seem to have discouraged this activity. This is indicated by the unofficial demonstration of about three hundred youth that took place in Prague. on the occasion of the Peace Conference.
At the same time, the offensive recently launched against religious people (both priests and lay people) touched off protest movement seen in Czechoslovakia since August 1968.
April, the police mounted full-scale raids in Christian circles, staged than 250 persons were arrested and in-
Most of them were released But about 17, including being held in prison. A letter of protest signed by 3,397 Christians, both Catholie and Protestant, was sent to Cardinal Tomasek, archbishop of Prague.
THREATS AGAINST PETR UHL
This climate indicates that the authorities have no intention of relaxing their repression against opponents of their regime. But experience has also shown us that sustained international campaigns can force them to retreat. Examples of this are the release of Vaclav Havel and the release without trial of the persons arrested in May 1981.
By all indications, such a campaign is even more necessary today than in the past to demand the immediate release of Petr Uhl. Not only have his physical and psychological health been gravely affected by the conditions under which he is being held, but he is more and more
PETR UMI French demonstrators demand Petr Uhl's release (DR)
1983 (she gets two visits a year) to the Mirov prison. During the visit, she was accompanied by Petr's two children and his father-in-law, Jaroslav Sabata. The meeting took place in an oppressive and tense atmosphere:
"We were forbidden to shake his hand, even the children. This was a new measure announced to all visitors, (The alleged reason was to prevent the trans mission of forbidden items, messages, money, etc.) Two officers were present the visit and recorded the entire a guard was posted to make sure that we talked only about famthreatening to end the visit.
when we tried to explain some misunderstandings that had arisen because Petr was not getting our letters (two months ago they started just reading him a few passages from them.
"So, the conversation became
At those points they ordered us impatiently to go on. Petr remarked drily that there was no rule that we had
The guard intervened Pavel, who is eight, showed his father a toy, although he had authorized this a minute before.
"From a remark Petr Uhl made, I realized that he fears further prosecution or transfer to a Third Category Prison (maximum security) as the result of many disciplinary sanctions
"A phrase of Petr's led us to believe that in the small isolated group among whom he is being held (it is not altogether clear whether they are political prisoners or what), there is an abnormal situation, and that Petr fears that some of them have organized a 'plot' against him. This seems to be the source of his fear of further prosecution and an extension of leased in a year, after five years in prison. He was already imprisoned from 1969 to 1973)"
Alarmed by this situation, by the constant strain under which Petr Uhl is living, his wife and father-in-law asked for a meeting with the prison educational officer and psychiatrist. These officials said that they had no intention of tran,fering Petr Uhl to a maximum security prison. But they did not "say anything definite about the possibility of further prosecution."
The Czechoslovak authorities cannot be left with a free hand to continue to hold in prison an oppositionist that they find particularly annoying. It is essential to step up actions in every country and internationally to demand the immediate release of Petr Uhl and of all those who, like him, are being forced to pay dearly for having the courage to say "no" to Husak's normalization.