Naughty statement?
Between October 9th and 11th , 1950, there was a fabricated law-suit in Smetanův dům in Litomyšl concerning a group of twenty five people. Amongst the accused people were several students including Jiří Kopřiva, who was eighteen years old at the time. He remembers the ordeal well: "A prosecuting attorney, doctor Barbaš, was already an old man. Another prosecuting attorney was a famous Ms. Brožová, today named Polednová. She was a looker then. I think no one really cared about the prosecutor's speech; everyone was asking themselves questions such as: What shall I say? What will they ask me? What should I admit to? What should I deny? I remember clearly the judge asking me: Was your dad in the concentration camp?‘ And I replied: 'Yes, he was.' – 'What does he say about us judging you today?' And I said: 'He is likely to be very ashamed of the republic that imprisons his son.' At that moment the prosecutor jumped up shouting: 'Your father is present so let’s ask him.' And I replied: 'Mr. prosecutor, my father has nothing to do with the procedure. If he speaks then I refuse to testify anymore, you simply won’t hear another word from me.' When my parents asked for my release after a year of prison, regional prosecutor answered that I showed no signs of improvement and acted boldly and provocatively in front of the court hence there is no reason for my discharge." Jiří Kopřiva was condemned for treason for two years of imprisonment.
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Jiří Kopřiva - curriculum vitae
"We left the prison as young boys - we were nobody. No education, no training, no degrees, nothing. We had to start all over again..." Mr. Jiří Kopřiva participated as a student of the State Gymnasium in Litomyšl town on the student sabotage of the labor union strike on February 24th, 1948. During the years 1948 and 1949 he was meeting his anti communist friend named Miroslav Matějka - a son of a farmer. They often met at the Restaurant Na Hrádku, where they discussed the possibilities of the anti-regime protest. Their chance occurred in spring of 1949, when their Gymnasium classmate, Míla Kohout, produced a leaflet entitled Colleagues. He was complaining about the politics of the Czechoslovak Youth organization and criticized the pressure against the Scouting organization Junák. Mr. Kopřiva has joined this activity and attended few meetings. The student group, named Hvězda, (Star), was unfortunately broken very soon. It happened rather by coincidence, after one unrelated event in June of 1949. Two Technical school students ripped the pictures of the President Gottwald and the Soviet president J. V. Stalin hanging in the State Gymnasium. As the authorities began with the investigation they also found out about the student anti-political activity. The author of the leaflet was arrested and questioned. His friends and classmates were subsequently questioned by the StB agents (StB - former State secret communist police) during the years 1949 and 1950. Mr. Jiří Kopřiva, whose meetings and conversation contents had been disclosed by his friend, was investigated at large at this point. In the meantime the StB managed to concoct extremely complex political process. The man number one in this process was named to be the chancellor of the Piarist campus of the Gymnasium in Litomyšl town, master Mr. František Ambrož Stříteský. Between October 9th and 11th, 1950 twenty five people, (9 students among these), have been sentenced to many years in jail. Mr. Jiří Kopřiva has been sentenced for treason to two years in prison. He served the whole time in Zámrsk Youth correctional center.
