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, main-
tained 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 ac-
cords 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 move-
ment, 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 Slo-
vak Federal Republic in 1990, and after a peaceful parti-
tion forming 2 separate states, democratically elected 
President of the Czech Republic in 1993; 
Whereas under the leadership of Va´clav Havel, the Czech Re-
public became a prosperous, democratic country and a re-
spected member of the international community; 
Whereas under the leadership of Va´clav Havel, the Czech Re-
public 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 hon-
ored Va´clav Havel with the Presidential Medal of Free-
dom, the highest civilian award of the United States Gov-
ernment, for being ‘‘one of liberty’s great heroes’’; 
Whereas after leaving office as president of the Czech Repub-
lic in February 2003, Va´clav Havel remained a voice on 
behalf of democratic dissidents worldwide and against au-
thoritarian 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 ad-
vancement 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 coun-
try, 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 Com-
mittee 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 democ-
racy 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 sup-
port by Va´clav Havel to bring freedom, justice, and de-
mocracy 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 partici-
pating 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 bar-
barity 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 soli-
darity 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, there-
fore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That Congress— 
(1) mourns the loss of Va´clav Havel and offers 
its heartfelt condolences to the Havel family and the 
people of the Czech Republic; 
(2) recognizes Va´clav Havel’s courage and com-
mitment to democratic values in the face of com-
munist repression; 
(3) recognizes Va´clav Havel’s pivotal historical 
legacy in defeating the ideology of communism, 
peacefully ending the Cold War, and building a Eu-
rope that is democratic, united, and at peace; 
(4) recognizes Va´clav Havel’s solidarity with 
democratic dissidents throughout the world and sup-
port for the expansion of freedom, including in 
Belarus, Iran, Cuba, China, and Burma; and 
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HCON 97 IH1S 
(5) reaffirms the commitment of the United 
States to the causes of freedom, democracy, and 
human rights for which Va´clav Havel stood. 
Æ 
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