Lilian Land. The ‘forgotten’ story of dissent iROZHLAS
Lilian was a nice, smart, cheerful and spontaneous girl. At the beginning of 1977, she organized a concert by the singer Jaroslav Hutka at the Prague grammar school, where she studied. This was followed by her expulsion from the Socialist Youth Union and from school, and later by a State Security investigation and a stay in the entire preliminary detention. Shortly afterwards, Land committed suicide. He is one of the victims of the former regime that should not be forgotten.
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“Would you like to come to our school to sing?” Lilian asked Jaroslav Hutka sometime in late 1976. “Why not!” He replied in January of the following year, he held an Arab concert at the Grammar School.
Lilian Land. “Forgotten” dissent story (repeat)
He sang a few Moravian folk songs to the students, he told them about Socrates. Here and there he ironically poked into the Husak regime. The problem was that in just a few weeks, the Charter 77 statement came out and the regime hysterically persecuted its opponents. And Hutka was one of them.
It was enough for one of the prominent classmates to mention the concert at home, events began that would end in tragedy in two years. Although the school management initially tried to sweep the whole affair under the rug, Lilian only received a warning.
it exists that one cannot be intimidated. Already in the summer of 1977, on the hop brigade, she collected signatures among her classmates under a petition in defense of Hutka, which was currently being investigated by the State Security. She won more than the Socialist Youth Union managed to collect under the second petition – against the imperialist neutron bomb. Lilian then bravely sent her petition to the Ministry of Culture.
We have to kick you out
Of course, this was no longer possible without punishment. She was exemplary expelled first from the Socialist Youth Union, then from school. At the same time, the classmates themselves, who publicly expelled her from the union, secretly apologized. This also testifies to the schizophrenic, alibi and hypocritical morals of the totalitarian regime.
Lilian could still graduate, but at another Prague grammar school. However, she reacted logically to the injustice and pressure she was subjected to: she became closer to dissent. She attended home lectures given by the philosopher Julius Tomin, befriended Věra Jirousová and other dissidents, and with her sincere nature, paid close attention to her mouth.
The State Security, which founded a group called the Student in November 1977, was already interested in her. A series of interrogations and intimidation followed, but Lilian still managed to send them off.
The regime bullied her in other ways as well, not allowing her to study at university as she would very much like. She therefore found a job as a lifeguard, and it was at the Džbán swimming pool where she worked that the last act of her story began.
The StB arrested cyclists in the center of Prague
“Lost and self-righteous.” The article, which launched a media campaign against Charter 77, was published 45 years ago
Read the article
She agreed with her friends that in May 1979 they would organize a recessionary bike ride through Prague, which was to end with a St. John’s toast in Šárka.
Today it seems funny, but even such an innocent event had a tragic end in the former regime. Lilian mentioned her in front of someone in Pitcher, saying that they wanted to support Charter 77.
An extradition to the State Security immediately followed. During the night, she arrested everyone who wanted to take part in this ride, including random cyclists in the center of Prague. Lilian herself ended 48 hours in all pre-trial detention. The Estebans’ actions were apparently so brutal that they collapsed after their release and ended up in a medical emergency.
Barely a few weeks passed, and the vital, courageous, sincere, and cheerful Lilian lost her desire to live. Did she run out of strength to continue resisting the regime? Didn’t she bear that someone close to her had betrayed her? In her volume, it is recorded in a typical Esteban language: Completion of the elaboration is carried out on the basis of committing suicide with municipal gas, which she caused on June 26, 1979 in her own apartment.
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