| Mr. Václav Havel, former president of the Czech Republic, did not accept the idea of "Socialism with a human face" at the time of Prague Spring reform movement of 1968, and claimed that the only alternative to Communism is true Democracy. He also asserted the necessity of moral values, and emphasis not on political compromise but on moral politics and conscientious politics. |
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| Mr. Havel is admired as the "Europe's conscience." He was a cofounder and spokesman of "Charter 77" movement, which was launched by 200 prominent Czech intellectuals to preserve the fundamental human rights from the oppression of the Czechoslovakia communist regime, and thus, laying the framework for the democracy of the Czechoslovakia. |
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| In 1989, Mr. Havel became one of the leading initiators of the founding of the "Civic Forum," and became a key figure of the "Velvet Revolution," which ultimately brought about the disintegration of the communist regime and democratization of the Czechoslovakia, and other socialist countries in Eastern Europe. |
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| During his term of office, the Czech Republic joined the NATO, and received the invitation to join the EU (the Czech Republic officially became a member of the EU in May this year), which became resounding testimony to Mr. Havel's life-long commitment and dedication to the Czech Republic's democracy and the peace settlement of Europe. |
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| Moreover, on June 18th of this year, Mr. Havel wrote a column on the Washington Post, "Time to act on North Korea," accusing North Korea for its inhumane oppression of the political offenders and stated that "now is the time for the democratic countries of the world-the European Union, the United States, Japan and South Korea-to take a common position to improve the conditions of the basic human rights in North Korea." |
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| With his moral authority, Mr. Havel continues to exert an outsized influence by writing columns on several renowned international newspapers and journals, delivering public speeches at numerous international organizations and sending letters of protest in cooperation with the international human rights organizations. Mr. Havel has been a long supporter of the Disability rights, and its health care system, and provided humanitarian assistance to those who are dependent of social-welfare services, by donating his entire wealth to the Olga Havel Foundation, set up by his late wife who passed away in 1996. |
