Every year on April 13, Slovakia observes the Unfairly Prosecuted Persons Day, a commemoration of the aggression against priests in communist Czechoslovakia. Although it is not a federal holiday, some businesses and organisations participate in commemorative activities and events alongside Christian communities and government agencies. Even though the country has long since abandoned its Communist identity and is now a melting pot of all religions and cultures, it wishes to honour every cleric and monk who suffered under the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia.
The background of Unfairly Prosecuted Persons Day
After World War II, the political climate in Czechoslovakia was stable. Their communist and non-communist parties had formed a coalition known as the National Front and were guiding the nation towards greater stability.
In 1946, the country had a non-communist pro-Soviet president and a communist prime minister, Klement Gottwald, who would play a pivotal role in subsequent events. The communist party progressively took control of the police, armed forces, education, agriculture, and civil service.
In 1948, when Czechoslovakia fell completely under communist control, the conflict between the two parties reached a bitter conclusion. The prevalent ideology at the time was total rejection of all religions, which would soon encompass all religious figures. Gottwald, who retained his position as prime minister, attempted to eradicate dissidence from the populace by assaulting monasteries of the Catholic Church across the country.
On the night of April 13, 1950, the state police broke into 56 Catholic monasteries inhabited by male monks and detained everyone inside. More monasteries were raided and more than 2,000 monks were imprisoned in concentration “monasteries” established by the ruling party throughout the entire month. A few months later, female monasteries were also targeted, resulting in a new round of illegal detentions of religious figures.
The General Prosecutor’s Office determined that there was no law prohibiting monks from operating monasteries in Czechoslovakia in 1968, after which monasteries were again permitted to operate. Prior to the fall of communism in 1989, communist rule was still in existence, and the situation for monks would not improve until then.
Today, Czechoslovakia is divided into the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and only Slovaks continue to observe this holiday.
5 FACTS REGARDING CZECH REPUBLIC AND THAT DAY
The letter ‘K’ was intended to symbolise ‘klátery’, the Czech word for monasteries.
Losing the last remaining democracy in Eastern Europe was a significant setback for Western nations and a precursor to the onset of the Cold War.
The night in question refers to events in April 1950 and is sometimes referred to as “Barbarian Night.”
In order to create a unified Western military and prevent another Czechoslovakia, the United States and Europe collaborated on a framework, which eventually led to the formation of NATO.
At least 63% of Slovakians are Catholic, while 72% of Czechs are unaffiliated with any religion.
UNFAIRLY PROSECUTED PERSONS DAY DATES
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | April 13 | Thursday |
| 2024 | April 13 | Saturday |
| 2025 | April 13 | Sunday |
| 2026 | April 13 | Monday |
| 2027 | April 13 | Tuesday |
