- Reconcilee
"Reconcilee" is a
neologism for the Czech word “"upravenec"” (pl. “"upravenci"”) which denotes an "émigré" fromCommunist Czechoslovakia who “reconciled” his or her relationship with the Communist régime.The origins
From
1948 until the end of the régime, unauthorized migration from Czechoslovakia was acrime . Between1945 and1987 172,659 people went intoexile . After the Helsinki Accords, the Communist establishment wished to show some kind of mitigation of the thus far harsh attitude towards "émigrés". Directive No. 4/1977 Official Journal of theCzech Socialist Republic , "On Reconciliation Legal Relationships of Czechoslovak Socialist Republic to Citizens Who Stay Abroad Without a Permit of Czechoslovak Authorities", was adopted. Hence the term “"upravenec"”.Categories
In
1980 there were 115,000 "émigrés". Directives stipulated two categories of reconcilees:
# those who wished to stay permanently abroad ascitizen s of Czechoslovakia (art. 3–5; 3,145 persons applied), or
# those who wished cessation of citizenship of Czechoslovakia (art. 6–8; 4,533 applied).A prerequisite to receive a status of "upravenec" was an application for a pardon of conviction for illegal emigration (12,486 applied) or being amnestied. Applicants had to pay large sums (officially the cost of education) and after reconciliation were allowed to visit Communist Czechoslovakia with no obstacles.Those who wished to return to Czechoslovakia (art. 2 — first category; 452 persons applied) were called “"navrátilci"” ("returnees"). Directives also identified a further category of "émigrés" — enemies of the Communist régime (art. 9–12). These were deprived of Czechoslovak citizenship and prohibited from visiting Czechoslovakia. (They thus could not be ranked among returnees or reconcilees.)
Controversy
The unsuspendable condition for reconciliation was “good or neutral relationship” towards the Communist régime. "Upravenci" were therefore disliked by much of the rest of the exile community and called collaborators. Most reconcilees hid their reconciliation, and speculative accusation of being a "upravenec" was considered a slur. The famous Czech author
Josef Škvorecký wrote satiric short stories about them. Hard-line "émigrés" speculated that "upravenci" were confidants of the Communistsecret police .References
# Directive No. 4/1977 Official Journal of the Czech Socialist Republic, [http://www.humintel.com/vestnik1.jpgOn Reconciliation Legal Relationships of Czechoslovak Socialist Republic to Citizens Who Stay Abroad Without a Permit of Czechoslovak Authorities] , p. 1 (
JPEG ; Czech)
# Directive No. 4/1977 Official Journal of the Czech Socialist Republic, [http://www.humintel.com/vestnik2.jpgOn Reconciliation Legal Relationships of Czechoslovak Socialist Republic to Citizens Who Stay Abroad Without a Permit of Czechoslovak Authorities] , p. 2 (JPEG; Czech)
# Directive No. 4/1977 Official Journal of the Czech Socialist Republic, [http://www.humintel.com/vestnik3.jpgOn Reconciliation Legal Relationships of Czechoslovak Socialist Republic to Citizens Who Stay Abroad Without a Permit of Czechoslovak Authorities] , p. 3 (JPEG; Czech)
# Directive No. 4/1977 Official Journal of the Czech Socialist Republic, [http://www.humintel.com/vestnik4.jpgOn Reconciliation Legal Relationships of Czechoslovak Socialist Republic to Citizens Who Stay Abroad Without a Permit of Czechoslovak Authorities] , p. 4 (JPEG; Czech)
# Jan Hanzlík: [http://www.mvcr.cz/policie/udv/securita/sbornik9/sesit9.doc Czechoslovak emigration seen by secret materials] . In Sborník Securitas Imperii 9 (doc; Czech)
# Pavel Jacko: [http://www.cs-magazin.com/2006-04/view.php?article=articles/cs060433.htm Čistý štít] (Czech)
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