RFE/RL Honors Life of Vaclav Havel

PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC — RFE/RL President Steven W. Korn made the following statement on the death of Vaclav Havel:

“Friends of democracy, free media and the fundamental dignity of all people have lost a great friend today, with the passing of Vaclav Havel. In everything that he did as an artist, campaigner and statesman, he championed the rights of the powerless and of all who believed as he did that, ‘Truth and love must prevail over lies and hate.’ RFE and its Czechoslovak Service were honored to air Havel’s works during the 1960’s, 1970’s and 1980’s, and gratified when he invited RFE/RL to move its operations to Prague in the early 1990’s, after the “Velvet Revolution” he did so much to spark and lead. Havel embodied the principles that guide our organization, and we hope that, in return, we represent to our audiences the values that guided his life and work. We will miss him deeply.”

For more information on the life and impact of playwright, dissident and former president Vaclav Havel, please visit the RFE/RL website.