WASHINGTON and PRAGUE , Oct. 31, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Czech leaders will honor Russian political prisoners at an international gala and conference being held on November 12-14 at the historic Palace Lichtenštejn in Prague to mark the 35th anniversary of the collapse of communism in Europe . Oleg Orlov , co-chair of the Russian human rights group Memorial, will receive the "Resistance and Solidarity Award" of The Remembrance Society (TRS) on behalf of the more than 700 political prisoners currently held in Russia , at a gala dinner ceremony on November 13 at the Lobkowicz Palace.
The dinner will also feature remarks by Lech Wałęsa , former President of Poland and Solidarity leader, Kamila Bendova , widow of Charter 77 leader Václav Benda. The three-day event will explore the continuing influence of totalitarian ideologies and feature panel discussions by leading experts, scholars, journalists, and public officials on themes such as reckoning with the communist past, the politics of memory, legal continuity after 1989, and education on totalitarian crimes. "We must preserve the physical and narrational traces of what happened under communism and pass them on to future generations," said Ambassador Martin Palouš , TRS Founding Trustee and Director of International Cooperation.
"We must listen attentively to the almost inaudible voices of the weak, the downtrodden, and those who were victimized and did not manage to escape." The announcement of the award laureate coincid.
