Right from the coup in 1948 till the iconic Velvet Revolution, Czechoslovakia faced the onslaught of the Communist Party and its various atrocities. These were tough times for people as this was an almost dictatorial government that took over civic liberties and a number of harsh rules and regulations were placed on the Czech citizens to curb their personal freedom.
The Implications
In fact, the excesses committed by the ruling Communist Party forced many Czechs to try and flee the borders illegally. This was particularly difficult because the country was literally cut off from the rest of the world in all spheres of life, and an iron curtain had been imposed. Unfortunately it was only in 1993 much later when the jarring atrocities committed by the party were recognized and it was decided to enforce a ruling that the political party was a criminal organization, and the members faced prosecution for the gross violations of human rights. There was actually an act of lawlessness that was passed in the House of Representatives to charge the party members with crimes of different stature.
The Significance of Charter 77
Raising any voice of dissent against the Communist Regime was considered to be amongst the gravest of criminal offences, and the protestors would either be deported to inhuman labor camps where they would be subjected to infinite tortures, or they would be arrested and executed without even a trial.
“In this context, the signing of Charter 77 as a civic initiative on an informal basis nevertheless, would be considered as a very brave step. Till date this has been considered amongst the most impactful charters that spearheaded slow and steady change and the upheaval of a rigid regime within a monumental time span of 15 years, all the way from 1977 to 1992.”
We are pleased to announce that we are partnering with Kitchen Reviews Direct, who have happily donated a bunch of food processors to us. They produce and write food processor reviews; and we’ll be using the food processors to provide support and well-being to those impacted by Charter 77.