IV 

★

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 97 

Expressing the sense of Congress in honor of the life and legacy of Va ́clav 

Havel. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 27, 2012 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN (for herself, Mr. BERMAN, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. 

MEEKS, Mr. MACK, Mr. SIRES, Mr. DIAZ-BALART, Mr. RIVERA, and Mr. 

ENGEL) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of Congress in honor of the life and 

legacy of Va ́clav Havel. 

Whereas Va ́clav Havel, former President of the Czech Republic, passed away on December 18, 2011, at 75 years of 

age, at his country home in Hra ́decˇek in the Czech Republic; 

Whereas Va ́clav Havel was widely recognized and respected 

throughout the world as a defender of democratic principles and human rights; 

Whereas through his extensive writings, Va ́clav Havel courageously challenged the ideology and legitimacy of the authoritarian communist regimes that ruled Central and 

Eastern Europe during the Cold War; 


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HCON 97 IH1S 

Whereas Va ́clav Havel, who was imprisoned 3 times by the 

Communist Party of Czechoslovakia for his advocacy of 

universal human rights and democratic principles, maintained his convictions in the face of repression; 

Whereas Va ́clav Havel was one of the leading organizers of 

Charter 77, a group of 242 individuals who called for the 

human rights guaranteed under the 1975 Helsinki accords to be realized in Czechoslovakia; 

Whereas Va ́clav Havel was a cofounder of the Committee for 

the Defense of the Unjustly Prosecuted, an organization 

dedicated to supporting dissidents and their families, 

which helped to advance the cause of freedom and justice 

in Czechoslovakia; 

Whereas Va ́clav Havel, as leader of the Civic Forum movement, was a key figure in the 1989 peaceful overthrow 

of the Czechoslovakian communist government known as 

the Velvet Revolution; 

Whereas following the Velvet Revolution, Va ́clav Havel was 

democratically elected as President of the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic in 1990, and after a peaceful partition forming 2 separate states, democratically elected 

President of the Czech Republic in 1993; 

Whereas under the leadership of Va ́clav Havel, the Czech Republic became a prosperous, democratic country and a respected member of the international community; 

Whereas under the leadership of Va ́clav Havel, the Czech Republic became a member of the North Atlantic Treaty 

Organization (NATO) on March 12, 1999, and continues 

to be a valued friend and treasured ally of the United 

States; 


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HCON 97 IH1S 

Whereas during his lifetime, Va ́clav Havel received praise as 

one of the world’s great democratic leaders and awarded 

many international prizes recognizing his commitment to 

peace and democratic principles; 

Whereas on July 23, 2003, President George W. Bush honored Va ́clav Havel with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award of the United States Government, for being ‘‘one of liberty’s great heroes’’; 

Whereas after leaving office as president of the Czech Republic in February 2003, Va ́clav Havel remained a voice on 

behalf of democratic dissidents worldwide and against authoritarian regimes, including Belarus, Iran, Cuba, 

China, and Burma; 

Whereas Va ́clav Havel, the author of Charter 77 for human 

rights and political reform in the former Czechoslovakia 

and an inspiration for Liu Xiaobo in the drafting of the 

Charter 08 manifesto for democratic reform in China, 

joined other Nobel Peace Prize laureates in 2010 to call 

for the nomination of Liu Xiaobo for the Nobel Peace 

Prize which the Chinese dissident won that year; 

Whereas Va ́clav Havel was a long time advocate for the advancement of human rights in Burma and nominated 

Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi for the 

Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, and upon hearing of his 

death Aung San Suu Kyi released a statement noting 

that ‘‘this is not only a loss for one person or one country, it is a great loss for humankind.’’; 

Whereas Va ́clav Havel supported the democratic dissidents in 

Cuba and sought to increase international cooperation 

through his involvement with the International Committee for Democracy in Cuba, an organization created 


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HCON 97 IH1S 

after the brutal 2003 Black Spring crackdown, which 

promotes international solidarity with the Cuban democracy movement; 

Whereas Va ́clav Havel has often condemned the oppressive 

nature of the Cuban regime and in March 2008 stated, 

‘‘Cuba’s regime has remained in power . . . by using 

propaganda, censorship, and violence to create a climate 

of fear.’’; 

Whereas the government of the Czech Republic continues to 

be a strong supporter of a free and democratic Cuba on 

the international stage; 

Whereas Cuban democracy activists in the United States and 

Cuba have honored the steadfast commitment and support by Va ́clav Havel to bring freedom, justice, and democracy to the Cuban people; 

Whereas Va ́clav Havel supported the democratic opposition in 

Iran, calling for the release of illegally detained Human 

Rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh and expressing support 

for the Iranian student protestors in March 2010, and 

stated, ‘‘I have an elevated sensitivity for certain things 

and am deeply outraged and shocked that for participating in similar demonstrations in Iran, people are not 

only being sentenced to several years in prison, but are 

even being executed. It seems to me like an endless barbarity and I firmly believe this savagery is about to come 

to an end.’’; 

Whereas Va ́clav Havel was a long-standing advocate for 

human rights and greater political freedoms in Belarus, 

and spoke out against the illegal detention of democratic 

activists in Belarus following the fraudulent elections in 

2010; and 


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HCON 97 IH1S 

Whereas in one of the final public messages Va ́clav Havel 

issued prior to his death he once again expressed solidarity with political prisoners in Belarus through a public 

letter to jailed activists Andrey Sannikau and Mikalay 

Statkevich, in which he stated, ‘‘I wish you all the best 

and freedom for your country . . . I will continue to use 

any opportunity in the future, together with my friends, 

to draw the international community’s attention to the 

violations of basic civil rights in Belarus.’’: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

2 concurring), That Congress— 

3 (1) mourns the loss of Va ́clav Havel and offers 

4 its heartfelt condolences to the Havel family and the 

5 people of the Czech Republic; 

6 (2) recognizes Va ́clav Havel’s courage and com7 mitment to democratic values in the face of com8 munist repression; 

9 (3) recognizes Va ́clav Havel’s pivotal historical 

10 legacy in defeating the ideology of communism, 

11 peacefully ending the Cold War, and building a Eu12 rope that is democratic, united, and at peace; 

13 (4) recognizes Va ́clav Havel’s solidarity with 

14 democratic dissidents throughout the world and sup15 port for the expansion of freedom, including in 

16 Belarus, Iran, Cuba, China, and Burma; and 


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HCON 97 IH1S 

1 (5) reaffirms the commitment of the United 

2 States to the causes of freedom, democracy, and 

3 human rights for which Va ́clav Havel stood. 

Æ 


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