movement.
•What are the basic aims and positions of Charter 77? It is a human rights manifesto based on the fact 13 October 1976 Government published Law No. (incidentally an immediate best-seller and no longer the text of two UN covenon civilane pontical rights, and on social, economc are Cultual Tents It was signed by the Government in October 1968 and became legally valid in March 1976. The signatories of Charter 77 are just demanding that. the Government fulfill its obligations.
The signatories of the Charter have stated that it is not a platform for political opposition, that it nas no ramme, membership, or strucured organisation. It is a citizens' group whose chief aim so once me govemment guarantee to the Czechoslovak coole a civil ane numan rights. Peopie who sign the Charter at the same time commit themselves to ongoing acuvity to win tnese demands •This is the first public prolest by a broad spectrum people since the action around The signatories of the Charter considered MUST nave they would have mass would defend DOTE them against the authorities. The sianatories ross the political and spectrum or society. socially - intellectuals, writers, journalists, historians, technicians, ex-students, have signed it; politically - for the first time support ranges from Communisi like Dr Kriegel, MIC HOCO Mlynar, Silhan, to intellectual liberals, democrats, to Christians (mainly Protestants), to Trotskyist groups, ultra-left groups, groups like the Plastic pone ome unverse. aee. wise it cuts across generaTONS.
Geographically too it seems that for the tirst time it is not just based in Prague but also notner towns. annougn tere is a noticeable lack of Slovaks which I believe will partially be remedied in The Beautore One should not forget anOTner aspect something which underlines Ine Cidin that this is not an opposition group, in the clasamong the signatories are people who were persecuted after people who still have important, well-paid jobs to lose extent be seen as mination in united action o protests individuals groups sine lasT years, sparked off and couraged by the Helsinki reement and the present temnatona situation combination of European eris conierence the Helsinki conference, the varous statements Spanish, Tanan French, British and other CPs creates atmosphere where a number of people are encouraged to join in activities such as Charter 77.
#How widely known is text of and To answer your question is very difficult, because it is impossible to know samizdat copies of the Charter on are circulating.
ernment has helped in its own way by not ignoring the CharTel but instead organising a vicious hysterical usinG une day, using the Party and trade Gels to support •roDacanod to get an enormous amount of sionatures "movidudis collectives to condemn The way in which the regime obtains resolutions condemning the Charter is revealing. ror instance. when the newspapers published a resolution prog- HOn aliaso meeting at the Prague CKD factory, has 14,000 workers, got, to mention that the meeting itself was only attended by 22 of them.
On other occasions and the director has simply signed on behalf of the whole 1971.
that Party 1969. factory or institution. Furtherthe many people who HITC have asked to hear the text of the Charter they are supposed cul- to condemn have been attack- ed for showing a lack of trust in the Party, and been threatened with losing BInE their jobs.
In any event, the result of this press campaign is that everyone knows that the CharBerlin exists. Furthermore, newspapers frequently name and some one natories and attack the Chart- well-known sig made ers aims if vou read carefully, and the Czechs and Slovaks aTe we wained reading between the lines, able to deduce the main aim of the Charter.
• How many signatories does longer each day. According to a report a week ago, the numhow many ber was about 400 signatures.
It is quite feasible that by the But the Gov- time of the Belgrade conferseveral thousand campaign, #What have been the differmedia ever ent forms of repression used against signatories?
Government's came immediately in the form of a widespread hysterical demass media, and in the form of harassment, detentions intention is to try to get signatonies port, and to frighten off others Trom sionine it hebors 1nolcate that up to now about 180 which ed, many of whom have been they for•Can you say a few words about what you no Soviet Union's attitude is to the Charter?
Here I can only refer to reports in the Western some important members of the Soviet embassy in Prague met with Czechoslovak Party leaders shortly after the Charter appeared. and have even that the Soviet tude was that the authorities should nip CURe the bud, crush it before it has a chance to grow difficult Soviet Union would want to CTO Deleve public of the Charter, spread trials with heavy prison sentences would probably prefer it if the Czechoslovak Would be could deal with the movement using sacking instead of political trials.
I must admit I don't know
WOUld
Czechoslovakia, COUSCHEU national scene in the past.
itical status sphere OT most important them.
Her 77, soace vakia and • What response has there couraging also for the future reaction campaign in East intimidation, and in the Soviet Union.
aTTesTS. ine Expressions of the Soviet press, and support and letter in which they own country think Czech press quently mation struggles.
Reports indicate CLEmovemenT and also about the On the other hand, I find it that DEISCCULIOHS such as wideThe Soviet leaders LUTIOD I think it significance that Wish June events methods plete news blackout. publicised nasty xiety created sists, which is they nave to make a choice between allowing a contagious political instability (con tagious in the sense that it throughout and then of Eastern Europe) and losing face. on the interthen I think that they will risk the latter, as they have done several times as reported The preservation of the polquo their influence thing for But the stated aim of Chart- demand. The widespread Democracy support it nas in czecnosio vakia, limits the manoeuvring -DOT the Soviet Union there been to Charter 77 in other countries in Eastern Europe?
It is highly significant and ennot just for the Czechoslovak opposition, but socialist opposition throughEurope that Charter 71 nas got so much suport from opposition groups europear countries solidarity Union have been reported in the Western Hungarians sent a very clear-cut letter o solidarity do not refer to the situation in their but just in support of the Charter. Polish and oppositionists have shown a tairy consistent in terest in the developments in each others' countries over the woman's life. ing money stian last eight years, and have freexpressed mutual sondanty ana circulated mor about each others For example, the hunger for exact details of the workers strikes in June 1976 in Poland current insatiable Czechoslovakia. A number of samizdat articles giving a detailed account of the strikes circulate not only among intellectuals but also in fac cusation Is not Czech authorites reacted to the PolMao's a com- modelled on was within the Party and still per WUTLOOK The first ever law permitting abor.
Line tallan Chamber of Deputies two week:
in the last issue Red Weekly It was supported by the Com. munist ane SocIalsT rares •OUT opposed by the which has been in the forefront o the campaign for free on far left Proletarian deDules пас proposed their own Bill, abstain The law permits abortion in the first 90 days of pregnancy if there we anysical menta near one woman. Late in pregnancy it would only be allowed if there was a threat to the Ivor, KISH rape LORPO The decision these criteria rests with the doc bears abortion on relicious crounos CA turner restriction is ine aroe number of church-run hospitals in to state women may have sale aure relused Dy doctors i wno are by perorming back cause crisis. Some Catholic rightists are ter getting their fingers burnt on , the ChriDemocrats will not want a riere OCT form * CHINA Strange bedfellows for Underhill Morris. Williams et al. After accusing Chiang Ching -or emulatin® Scarlett O'Hara Peking radio has Trotskyism neir oan to usuro power over deathbed was apparently Trotsky's anti-party referred to Native TrotHuneto are ine concise riston ortnE DOVIC publisned unce Slall •MAKARIOS * CYPRUS The future of the Cypriot masses is still being ceciced over Inel Makarios, , the arch-survi and Denktash self-styled President of the Turkish Federated Siste or evorus. nave nac ciscus sions about reopening negotia Naturally there was mention from either side of ing all foreign troops out of the -nis comes in ine same week a publication Sunda findings Council of Europe report on Tu Cyprus. wineav mes catanis a nomy catalogue of murder, rape, torture and looting. One example: a girl, aged six, was stabbed to death b TUTKIST are still 25,00 Turkish troops on the island. ner. were are * FRANCE Paris cinema audiences are pro testing volubly y at cuts in the new film by Yves Boisset. A Paris cour has imposed 19 cuts in the film L iuce Favard dit le sheriff.
similarities to in murder of Judge Re naud-in Lyon in 1975 Renaud, nicknamed the sheriff in the film discovered links between sAu Gaullist paramilitary organisation, and organised crime He was shot through the neck outside Every reference to SAC and their murder ot Judge Fayard' has bee cut from film, either by blank frames DICES Oil the soundtrack. AL Glences fully aware of the res ponsibility for the murder 'SAC-SAC-SAC throughout the gaps. * FRANCE Three revolutionary left organisa tions have agreed on a commot Communis nevolutionar League French section oT Fourth International], Lute Duv [Workers Orga The platform is in clear opposition to the class collaborationist Crot, tormed by the communist formed Socialist Party Left Radicals i cals or ine can tralisation of the struggle agains plan position towards the CP and orranisations se electora univ as a steo towards the unification of the revolutionary The full text of joint platpublished in latest •Issue or norecos New Ime Teres Dan Sri Lanka, ete
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JAN KAVAN was a student leader and associate of Jiri Mueller in Czechoslovakia in the 1960s. He is now a director of Palach Press. Helen Jamieson and Mark Jackson asked him to explain the significance of the new Charter 77