Jarmila Johnová

“What I found paramount and liked about the 1960s was that we could speak freely about everything. For me this was an era of questioning. The most important thing of all was to find out – which I hadn’t – why our parents succumbed to that simplified and restrictive setup to which the communist way of thought yielded. Our family discussions were heated. I remember my dad even burst into tears once in the face of us blaming him. We never ascertained how they could come to believe it. They must have known about the political murders. That was inexcusable. They claimed that they realized that there were restrictions but WW II convinced them because it brought civilization almost to its end. They thought that for it not to happen again some sort of central management and control was required. Now that I speak of it, I recall my father once saying: ‘That was a sacrifice which had to be done for those things not to come back.’ Many people spoke in the same way. Pavel Kohout, also my first partner Jiří Dienstbier. His parents saw it similarly. Him who was in between the age of my parents and mine also felt it that way. For a long time he was stuck in it. In fact, I think Jirka Dienstbier’s heart was always in it in some way even though he really was a honest man.”

“Us two – me and my dad – signed Charter 77. That was quite interesting. I told Jirka Dienstbier that I thought it was risky, not knowing what the response would be. His feeling was that the 50s were over and that it wouldn’t be so terrible. I expected the worst, that they’d arrest us instantly. Being pregnant, I was very happy I just rushed to the hospital at the moment when Charter was being handed over. When Kristina was born, horrible news were aired on the radio about ‘renegades and turncoats’ who signed an abusive pamphlet. So I was worried. It was touching that Zuzana Dienstbierová came under my window because Dienstbier was detained, and shouted that Kristina’s father wouldn’t be able to come. Then came my mum and shouted that my father was in the Ruzyně prison and that I was supposed to keep shut. That was a good advice. The secret police didn’t come for me to the hospital but as soon as I came home they took advantage of nobody else being around. I was well informed and followed the advice not to say anything ever because it wouldn’t help me anyway.”