20th Anniversary of Velvet Revolution

The Embassy supported commemorative event 20 Years without the Curtain - A Reason to Celebrate organized by Opona NGO.

November 16 — Former President and Velvet Revolution leader Vaclav Havel hosted a concert on Saturday to celebrate the revolution’s 20th anniversary.  American singers Joan Baez, Reneé Fleming, Lou Reed, Suzanne Vega as well as Polish dissident Adam Michnik and former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright attended. In his video message to Havel, U.S. President Barack Obama said: “You inspired the whole world by your courage and you helped the spread of freedom around Europe.”

Statement by Secretary Clinton on 20th Anniversary of the Velvet Revolution

Twenty years ago, the people of Czechoslovakia carried forward the wave of freedom that began in the Polish shipyards, surged over the Wall in Berlin, and ultimately liberated millions of people across Europe.  Americans prayed for the students in Prague who faced down an oppressive regime and propelled a dissident playwright from prison to the presidency.  We cheered for a nation that had grasped for liberty in the spring of 1968 and seen its dreams deferred for decades.  And when democracy finally came, we welcomed new partners committed to building a free and unified Europe and a more peaceful and prosperous world.

Today we celebrate the vibrant democracies of the Czech Republic and Slovakia and salute those who worked to bring freedom to their land -- the dissidents and activists who risked all they had to demand a free and better life, the mothers and fathers, workers and students who never lost faith that a system built on tyranny and oppression could and would be overcome.  Thanks to their sacrifice, Tomas Masaryk’s vision of a democratic society thrives today in Middle Europe.

On this historic occasion, I congratulate the Czech Republic and Slovakia on twenty years of democracy and reaffirm the commitment of the United States to our strong alliance as we work together to meet the challenges and seize the opportunities of the 21st century.

RFE/RL Interview with Vaclav Havel

On the 20th anniversary of Czechoslovakia's Velvet Revolution, Havel tells RFE/RL that America's crucial contribution to the collapse of the Soviet Union was its public support for dissidents and human rights.

"The U.S. indeed did not try to provoke any revolutions," says Havel. "They supported human rights activists and expressed solidarity with them. When American officials came here, they met with dissidents."

Havel calls the November 17, 1989 student demonstration that was forcibly put down by police, "the snowball that triggered an avalanche."

"No one knew what the snowball would be and when it would happen precisely -- we weren't soothsayers -- but it was clear that sooner or later it had to happen."

WATCH the full interview