Czech ex-President Václav Havel has passed away
He was 75.
Reuters informs about it referring to the country’s PM Petr Nečas. Václav Havel has died as a result of complications after a long illness.
Václav Havel was the President of Czecho-Slovakia (1989–1992) and the first President of the Czech Republic (1993–2003).
Havel became a co-founder of the Civic Forum at the end of the 1980s which turned out to be the main opposition force in Czecho-Slovakia before the collapse of the Communist Bloc. Havel became president by a unanimous vote of the Federal Assembly on December 19, 1980.
Václav Havel was a person who supported the opposition movement of the democratic Belarus and civil and youth organizations. He discussed Belarusians’ right to live in a free state which could be part of the united Europe in many interviews.
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Politicians of the world express condolences in connection with Václav Havel’s death. The writer and dissident died after a long illness on Sunday.
The President of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek has called Havel a hero of the Velvet Revolution of 1989. He has noted that he will be sorely missed not only in the Czech Republic and Slovakia but by the whole European continent which he did so much to reunite. U.S. President Barack Obama has also mentioned Václav Havel’s efforts directed at uniting the Czech Republic and returning it to the free Europe.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has hailed Havel as a "great European". French President Nicolas Sarkozy has claimed that Václav Havel was a great friend of France. British PM David Cameron has noted that Václav Havel freed the Czech people from tyranny.
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Church bells across the Czech Republic rang out after a request was made by Catholic Archbishop of Prague Dominik Duka. He reminded that Havel was a Catholic and urged all the Czechs to give one last honour to their great compatriot, informs RIA “Novosti”.
Let us remind you that Václav Havel will be buried on Friday, December 23. The Czech government will take a decision to announce mourning in the country at a special session today.
