At the beginning, a call was published: “Do you think the war in Ukraine is a hoax? That the media is lying about the death toll and the consequences of the 'special military operation' in Ukraine? Come to the audition and become the heroes of a new movie.” The film crew ventured into the center of the military conflict in October 2024 with three “heroes” – supporters of Vladimir Putin, to see for themselves what the war in Ukraine looks like. Do you want to see the reactions of the doubters as missiles fly above their heads; they hide in shelters, walk among mass graves, talk to children in the underground school in a subway, to wounded soldiers or suffering survivors?  

Aleš Palán will introduce his novel, inspired by the bestseller Raději zešílet v divočině, rozhovory s šumavskými samotáři. Once again, the readers will be captivated by the dramatic Šumava and will venture into an unusual environment, to a remote solitude without electricity and access roads, where a family of five lives.  

Tune into the waves of the nineties! Don’t miss out on this unique 90s disco. The event is produced by the organization Díky, že můžem, who have dedicated a part of the education program to the idea of the nineties.  

Music journalist Pavel Klusák will host the evening. 

Discussion of Respekt editors and their guests. The January debate will be moderated by Silvie Lauder. More information can be found on www.vaclavhavel.cz before the event.  

The incoming government wants to cancel the fee for public service media and fundamentally change the system of their financing. Yet their representatives still insist that they want to maintain the independence of the Czech Television and the Czech Radio, so are there grounds for concern about its threat? And can the planned changes affect the work of the Czech Television and the Czech Radio? Public broadcasting is often labeled as one of the pillars of democracy, but what exactly does that mean? What exactly have the countries where public broadcasting has been stripped off its independence lost?

Six of the 13 laureates of the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize to date are currently in prison, including Professor Ilham Tohti. Ilham Tohti is a publicly known Uyghur intellectual from China and the laureate of the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize for 2019. For over 20 years, he has been engaged in developing dialogue and understanding between the Uyghurs and the Chinese. For this, he was sentenced to life in prison in a two-day rigged trial in 2014. His family has not heard from him since 2017, when he was denied contact with them and his lawyers.

Introduction of the book Systémově zneužitá a zneužívající československá psychiatrie v soft-sovětském stylu (1948–1989) by Miroslav Vodrážka. Using specific examples, the author shows not exceptional, but systematic abuse of psychiatry during communism. It included not only the abuse of medical expertise or the control of leading psychiatrists by the KGB, but mainly the objectivist psychiatric approach in which a patient was a “clinical case” rather than a citizen of a historical and social world.  

We invite you to the launch of the book Světlem proti temnotě, which tells the story of Czech aid to Ukraine after the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022. The book was co-written by Jan Heřmánek, one of the main figures of the organization Team 4 Ukraine, and journalist David Miřejovský.

The perception of the book through the eyes of a book designer, exploring the creative process, the rules of typography, and the possibilities of breaking them. An introduction to the historical roots of books, from medieval manuscripts and the significant historical legacy of graphic designers of the 20th century, to the contemporary view of books in contemporary media.  

Why is Václav Havel’s thinking still inspiring? What questions does it raise for us? What challenges does it present to us? What solutions does it offer?  

The first evening of our debate series will focus on the theme of searching. Who am I? Where am I going and where do I belong? What am I a part of? The incessant searching, born from uncertainty and doubt, is also a permanent challenge: to think about oneself, to work on oneself, to remain oneself.  

The Argentinian writer Julio Cortázar once said that while a novel can win by points, a short story wins by a knockout blow. A good short story will simply send you to your knees, and count you up. Exactly these types of short stories were collected by writer Jan Němec in a large anthology of the best post-revolutionary short stories called Na solar. 

In recent months, there have been several waves of political prisoners returning from prisons in Belarus, Russia, and the occupied territories of Ukraine. But what happens to these people who have spent many years in prison? It is clear that the concern for them cannot end with their release, because they return in poor health and psychological conditions. Simultaneously, they face uncertain futures, whether it is the risk of repeated arrest or forced exile, having to adapt to life in a foreign country. What does the return to normal life look like for political prisoners currently? Who is involved in their care, and how can help be provided? 

The discussion with Alsu Kurmasheva (RFE/RL), Klára Šimáčková Laurenčíková (former Government Commissioner for Human Rights) and Nadiia Ivanova (Člověk v tísni) will be moderated by Jan Blažek (Post Bellum).