František Šedivý (2 July 1927 – 23 February 2021) was a Czech resistance fighter, political prisoner, and writer. He served as Vice-President of the .

Biography

Šedivý was expelled from secondary school during the

German occupation of Czechoslovakia German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and began working in a

Junkers Junkers Flugzeug- und Motorenwerke AG (JFM, earlier JCO or JKO in World War I, English language, English: Junkers Aircraft and Motor Works) more commonly Junkers , was a major German aircraft manufacturer, aircraft and aircraft engine manufactu ...

factory in 1944. He was an active participant in the resistance against the Nazis at that time. After the

1948 Czechoslovak coup d'état In late February 1948, the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ), with Soviet backing, assumed undisputed control over the government of Czechoslovakia through a coup d'état. It marked the beginning of four decades of the party's rule in t ...

, which led to the installation of the

Czechoslovak Socialist Republic The Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, (Czech language, Czech and Slovak language, Slovak: ''Československá socialistická republika'', ČSSR) known from 1948 to 1960 as the Czechoslovak Republic (''Československá republika)'', Fourth Czecho ...

, he helped smuggle refugees across the border in the

Bohemian Forest The Bohemian Forest, known in Czech as () and in German as , is a low mountain range in Central Europe. Geographically, the mountains extend from Plzeň Region and the South Bohemian Region in the Czech Republic to Austria and Bavaria in Germ ...

into

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

. In the early 1950s, he was arrested for revealing the identity of a secret agent and sentenced to 14 years in prison, which he largely spent in uranium mines in

Jáchymov Jáchymov (; or ''Joachimsthal'') is a spa town in Karlovy Vary District in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,300 inhabitants. Jáchymov has a long mining tradition, thanks to which it used to be the second most popu ...

. He was paroled in February 1964. In 1989, Šedivý became involved in the Konfederace politických vězňů České republiky (Confederation of Political Prisoners of the Czech Republic) and served as its first Vice-President. He also chaired the Klub dr. Milady Horákové, and became a member of

PEN International PEN International (known as International PEN until 2010) is a worldwide professional association, association of writers, founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere. The association ...

. On 28 October 2009, he was inducted into the

Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk The Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk () is an order (decoration), Order of the Czech Republic and the former Czechoslovakia. It was established in 1990 after the Velvet Revolution, and re-established in 1994 (following the dissolution of Czechosl ...

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Václav Klaus Václav Klaus (; born 19 June 1941) is a Czech economist and politician who served as the second president of the Czech Republic from 2003 to 2013. From July 1992 until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in January 1993, he served as the second ...

for outstanding achievements and contributions to democracy and human rights. On 31 May 2008, he was given honorary citizenship to his hometown,

Zadní Třebaň Zadní Třebaň is a municipality and village in Beroun District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. T ...

. He received the same honor from

Řevnice Řevnice () is a town in Prague-West District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,800 inhabitants. Etymology The name is derived from the personal name Řevna, meaning "the village of Řevna's people". The personal ...

on 7 May 2010. František Šedivý died on 23 February 2021 at the age of 93.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Šedivý, František 1927 births 2021 deaths Czech resistance members Czech writers Czechoslovak prisoners and detainees People from Beroun District Recipients of the Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk Political prisoners in former countries