"In the sprawling Dablice cemetery in Prague's northern suburbs, two archaeologists kneel in the dirt in a square hole around a meter deep. Working in silence, they brush away soil from fragments of wood as a gentle drizzle patters on the white plastic tent erected over their heads. "This place is seen as sacred for political prisoners, especially the political prisoners of the 1950s, when many of them were sentenced to death," said Jiri Linek, head of the Association of Former Political Prisoners 19481989."
"Linek has made it his life's work to bring clarity to this mournful chapter in Czech history. Now, for the first time since 1989, the state is overseeing the exhumation of graves believed to contain the remains of political prisoners. Execution of decorated war heroes "According to the available records, this grave Mass Grave No. 14 should contain the remains of three officers involved in the planned anti-communist uprising of 1949 known as 'PragueZatec'," Linek told DW."
Dablice cemetery in Prague's northern suburbs contains suspected mass graves of political prisoners executed or imprisoned in the 1950s. State-supervised exhumations are underway for the first time since 1989 to recover remains and establish identities. Jiri Linek, head of the Association of Former Political Prisoners 1948-1989, has prioritized uncovering this history and the right to dignified burial. Mass Grave No. 14 may hold three decorated war officers—Karel Sabela, Vilem Sok-Sieger and Miloslav Jebavy—who fought the Nazis and later plotted the 1949 Prague–Zatec anti-communist uprising. The plot was infiltrated by secret police; trials led to immediate hangings and life sentences for others.
Read at www.dw.com
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