Czechoslovakia: Actions Speak Louder

A police crackdown in Prague mars a human-rights accord

Talk about empty gestures. Along with representatives from 34 other countries, Czechoslovak Foreign Minister Jaromir Johanes arrived in Vienna last week to attend the final session of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe. One main purpose of the meeting: to approve the most far-ranging document on human rights since the Helsinki accords in 1975. But Johanes' endorsement only underscored the hypocrisy of the Czech regime. That day, baton-wielding police used tear gas, water cannons and dogs against 4,000 ^ people who were about to begin a peaceful demonstration in Prague's Wenceslas Square. The rally was called to mark the...

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