Authors
Joshua Hayden1; 1 Anglo-American University, Czech Republic Discussion
The Czechoslovak communist regime’s most thorough witch hunt came in early 1977 against the writers and signers of Charter 77. This can be seen a prime case study that illustrates how witch hunts and nationalism manifest themselves in a larger propagandic campaign, called the Anti-Charter, involving multi-media, social and professional pressures to conform, and direct interrogation and defamation of “anti-humanist forces of imperialism.” Václav Havel was chased down and arrested by the secret police (StB) while he and two associates were delivering Charter 77 to federal offices, became the target of newspaper and television propaganda, and months later through interrogation was forced admit that is initiative might have been distorted by the foreign media and in exchange for his release he would cease public political activities. His “confession” was then distorted in newspapers accusing him of damaging Czechoslovak interests abroad and rescinding his signature from Charter 77. Not only is this an interesting case of silencing through “witch hunt”, but it was a turning point for Havel and thus the human rights movement in Czechoslovakia may not have been the same without it. 
