Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Communism in the Czech Republic

It was on this day in 1950 that Milada Horáková, a former Member of Parliament and pro-democracy activist, was executed by the communist authorities in Czechoslovakia at Pankrác Prison. Horáková was outspoken against the 1948 coup d’état, in which the communists had illegitimately seized power with the backing of the Soviet Union. Despite the severe threat to her own safety, she refused to leave the country.

Horáková and 12 other political activists were eventually arrested for their anti-communist activities on September 27, 1949, and subjected to torture and a politically motivated trial, which culminated in their death sentences.

In 2000, the Czech government declared June 27 a national holiday, in memory of Horáková and all those who fell victim to the Czechoslovak communist regime.

The day is observed in various ways, including through numerous events held in Prague, the holding of museum exhibitions, and the displaying of black banners in honour of Horáková and her legacy.