- Jiří Hájek
Jiří Hájek IPA2|ˈjɪr̝i: ˈɦa:jɛk (
July 6 1913 ,Krhanice nearBenešov -October 22 1993 ,Prague ) was a Czech politician and diplomat. Together withVáclav Havel ,Zdeněk Mlynář , andPavel Kohout , Hájek was one of the founding members and architects of Charta 77.Early political career
Hájek studied and worked as a lawyer. From a young age he was a member of the
Czechoslovak Social Democratic Party . DuringWorld War II Hájek was imprisoned (1939 - 1945). After the war he became a member of parliament for the Czechoslovak Social Democratic Party (1945 - 1948) and probably also a secret member of the Communist Party (code name E-22). During 1948 - 1969 he was a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, during 1950 - 1953 he was therector of the University of Economics.Diplomacy
From 1955 Hájek worked in diplomacy: during 1955 - 1958 as an ambassador in Britain, during 1958 - 1962 as a deputy of the minister of foreign affairs, during 1962 - 1965 he represented Czechoslovakia in
United Nations . During 1965 - 1968 he was the minister of education. From April to September 1968, he served as the minister of foreign affairs in Dubček's government. After the Soviet Union army took control over Czechoslovakia (August 21 1968 ) he protested against this in a speech at the United Nations (where he used the word "occupation") - this caused his dismissal from high offices and even from the communist party (1970).Charta 77
Until 1973 Hájek worked in the Historical Institute of
Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences .Together with
Václav Havel ,Zdeněk Mlynář , andPavel Kohout , Hájek was one of the founding members and architects of Charta 77.Jiří Hájek emerged as one of three leading spokesmen of Charta 77, thus becoming the target of police interrogations and threats. He was a strong defender of this uncompromising document, which voiced the principles of universal
human rights . In 1987, Hájek was awarded the first ever Professor Thorolf Rafto Memorial Prize.After the fall of socialism in Czechoslovakia (1989) Hájek served as an advisor of
Alexander Dubček (1990 - 1992) but was unable to obtain significant political influence.He died on October 22, 1993.
External links
* [http://www.mzv.cz/wwwo/mzv/default.asp?id=23173&ido=7970&idj=1&amb=1 Biography at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic]
* [http://zivotopisyonline.cz/jiri-hajek.php Biography (in Czech)]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.