Company militia, prison and machine-guns against those who disagree with us
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Karel Hás was born on the 2nd of September 1928 in Pardubice, where his parents ran a haberdashery. The family returned to their native Klatovy in 1931 and Karel grew up there. He studied at a secondary technical school of mechanical and electrical engineering in Pilsen. He was an active Scout, he took part in anti-communist demonstrations on the 5th of May 1948 in Pilsen and in the Pilsen Revolt on the 1st of June 1953. He and his brother Jaromír considered emigrating in 1948. Karel wrote about his plans to his friend Miroslav Churán, who had settled in England after emigrating in the summer of 1948. However, the letters were intercepted by State Security (StB) and the two brothers found themselves standing on trial. Karel had started working at West Bohemian Power Plants after graduating, it was there he was arrested on the 4th of May 1949. In July 1949, he and his older brother Jaromír, who was on compulsory military service at the time, were convicted of high treason by the State Court in Prague. Karel was sentenced to three years in high-security prison and Jaromír to seven years. Karel Hás was jailed in Pilsen-Bory and in the labour camp in Pilsen-Karlov. After his release he worked at the Škoda Works in Pilsen, and later in Klatovy as a cinema projectionist.
