Presidential Wreath-Laying Ceremony Pays Respect to Victims of 1968 Czechoslovakia Occupation

Today, President Ivan Gašparovič of the Slovak Republic laid wreaths at the memorial plaques of Peter Legner and Danka Košanová to commemorate the 41st anniversary of the tragic events of 21 August 1968.

With such a dutiful act, the President symbolically honoured all victims of Czechoslovakia’s invasion by Warsaw Pact troops. "It is one of the milestones in the building of a democratic state, both in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. What happened cannot be forgotten. It is very hard to achieve freedom and it is very easy to lose it," the President stated after his action at the memorial plaques, and said that he was glad that people in Slovakia appreciate the day "when we managed to stand up and fight for our freedom."

According to the President, it is also important to commemorate 21 August 1968 in order for young people who experienced neither the Second World War nor the years of subordination to other countries to appreciate everything they have today, as well as their freedom.

On this occasion, the President also mentioned the victims of political reprisals after 1968 and pointed out that the suffering of those who continued to fight for their beliefs and remained faithful to their opinions and values should even today serve as an example of the bravery of citizens.

The President remembers the day of the invasion by Soviet troops into Czechoslovakia very well.

“I went to the railway station to pick up my children who were coming back from a visit to their grandmother by night train.” Gašparovič says. “I noticed many lights and tanks close to Bratislava’s Manderlák building and thought to myself something was being filmed there.”

The invasion by Warsaw Pact troops at night from 20 to 21 August 1968 halted the reform process - also called “The Prague Spring”- in the former socialist Czechoslovakia.

During that night, Czechoslovakia was invaded by 500,000 soldiers from the Soviet Union, Poland, Bulgaria, East Germany and Hungary.

War did not break out, thanks to then-President of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic Ludvík Svoboda, who did not permit the Czechoslovak army to be used in defence. The invasion was not left without reaction – the troops met with great resistance from the public, which reacted to the situation by various means and resulted in the loss of hundreds of civilians.