{"id":16486,"date":"2011-12-19T06:10:20","date_gmt":"2011-12-19T06:10:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/2011\/12\/vaclav-havel-czech-leader-and-playwright-dies-at-75\/"},"modified":"2011-12-19T06:10:20","modified_gmt":"2011-12-19T06:10:20","slug":"vaclav-havel-czech-leader-and-playwright-dies-at-75","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/12\/19\/vaclav-havel-czech-leader-and-playwright-dies-at-75\/","title":{"rendered":"Vaclav Havel, Czech leader and playwright, dies at 75"},"content":{"rendered":"

Vaclav Havel, the Czech Republic’s first president after the Velvet Revolution against communist rule, has died at the age of 75.<\/p>\n

The former dissident playwright, who suffered from prolonged ill-health, died on Sunday morning, his secretary Sabina Tancecova said.<\/p>\n

As president, he presided over Czechoslovakia’s transition to democracy and a free-market economy.<\/p>\n

He oversaw its peaceful 1993 split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.<\/p>\n

Havel first came to international fame as a dissident playwright in the 1970s through his involvement with the human rights manifesto Charter 77.<\/p>\n

‘Great European’<\/strong><\/p>\n

A black flag has been flying over Prague Castle, the presidential seat, and people have been gathering in Wenceslas Square, scene of anti-communist protests in 1989, to light candles in honour of Havel.<\/p>\n

The Czech cabinet is to meet for a special session on Monday to consider arrangements for national mourning.<\/p>\n

Tributes have been pouring in for the man many consider a driving force in the overthrow of communist rule in eastern Europe.<\/p>\n

“His peaceful resistance shook the foundations of an empire, exposed the emptiness of a repressive ideology, and proved that moral leadership is more powerful than any weapon,” said US President Barack Obama.<\/p>\n

German Chancellor Angela Merkel hailed Havel as a “great European” in a letter of condolence to Czech President Vaclav Klaus.<\/p>\n

“His fight for freedom and democracy was as unforgettable as his great humanity,” wrote Mrs Merkel, who grew up in communist East Germany.<\/p>\n

“We Germans in particular have much for which we are grateful to him. We mourn this loss of a great European with you,” she wrote.<\/p>\n

British Prime Minister David Cameron said he was “deeply saddened” and that Europe owed Havel a “profound debt”.<\/p>\n

“Havel devoted his life to the cause of human freedom. For years, Communism tried to crush him, and to extinguish his voice. But Havel could not be silenced.<\/p>\n

Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt wrote on Twitter: “Vaclav Havel was one of the greatest Europeans of our age. His voice for freedom paved way for a Europe whole and free.”<\/p>\n

Chronic ill-health<\/strong><\/p>\n

Havel died at his country home north-east of Prague.<\/p>\n

In his final moments, he was comforted by his wife Dagmar and several nuns, his secretary was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.<\/p>\n

Havel had looked thin and drawn during recent public appearances.<\/p>\n

A former heavy smoker, Havel had a history of chronic respiratory problems dating back to his years in communist prisons.<\/p>\n

He had part of a lung removed during surgery for cancer in the 1990s.<\/p>\n

He was taken to hospital in Prague on 12 January 2009, with an unspecified inflammation, and developed breathing difficulties after undergoing minor throat surgery.<\/p>\n

Satirist<\/strong><\/p>\n

Havel began co-writing plays during his military service in the 1950s and his first solo play, The Garden Party, was staged in 1963.<\/p>\n

His plays satirised the absurdities of life under communist rule, but his work was banned after the reformist Prague Spring of 1968 was crushed by a Soviet-led invasion.<\/p>\n

After that his plays were banned and he was imprisoned several times.<\/p>\n

By the late 1970s he had become Czechoslovakia’s best-known dissident. He helped found the Charter 77 movement for democratic change.<\/p>\n

When communist rule unravelled in late 1989, he was elected president by the interim coalition cabinet. He resigned in 1992 after Slovak nationalists successfully campaigned for the break-up of Czechoslovakia.<\/p>\n

He was elected first president of the Czech Republic in January 1993, serving until 2003 when he resigned as his health deteriorated.<\/p>\n

Havel returned to literature and to supporting human rights activists around the world. <\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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