Martin Mejstřík
Encyclopedia
Martin Mejstřík is a Czech politician and human rights
activist. He is notable for his role as a student leader during the Velvet Revolution
that led to the ousting of the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia in November 1989. He served as a Senator in the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic from 2002 to 2008, representing Prague
1 as an independent, and was a member of the Senate Committee on Education, Science, Culture, Human Rights and Petitions
. Mejstřík is a founding signatory of the Prague Declaration on European Conscience and Communism
(and the co-organizer, with Jana Hybášková
, of its preceding conference) and the Declaration on Crimes of Communism
. He was also one of the politicians proposing the creation of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes
. In 2007, he proposed a ban on "communist and all totalitarian propaganda and symbols".
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
activist. He is notable for his role as a student leader during the Velvet Revolution
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution or Gentle Revolution was a non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia that took place from November 17 – December 29, 1989...
that led to the ousting of the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia in November 1989. He served as a Senator in the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic from 2002 to 2008, representing Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
1 as an independent, and was a member of the Senate Committee on Education, Science, Culture, Human Rights and Petitions
Committee on Education, Science, Culture, Human Rights and Petitions (Czech Republic)
The Committee on Education, Science, Culture, Human Rights and Petitions is a committee of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic concerned with matters of education, science, culture, human rights and petitions. It consists of nine members. The current chair of the committee is Jaromír...
. Mejstřík is a founding signatory of the Prague Declaration on European Conscience and Communism
Prague Declaration on European Conscience and Communism
The Prague Declaration on European Conscience and Communism , which was signed on 3 June 2008, was a declaration signed by prominent European politicians, former political prisoners and historians, including past signatories of Charter 77 such as Václav Havel, which called for condemnation of and...
(and the co-organizer, with Jana Hybášková
Jana Hybášková
Jana Hybášková is a Czech politician and diplomat, serving as the Ambassador of the European Union in Iraq . From 2004 to 2009, she was a Member of the European Parliament for the European People's Party...
, of its preceding conference) and the Declaration on Crimes of Communism
Declaration on Crimes of Communism
The Declaration on Crimes of Communism is a declaration signed on 25 February 2010 by several prominent European politicians, former political prisoners, human rights advocates and historians, which calls for the condemnation of communism...
. He was also one of the politicians proposing the creation of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes
Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes
The Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes is a Czech government agency and research institute, founded by the Czech government in 2007. Its purpose is to gather, analyse and make accessible documents from the Nazi and Communist regimes...
. In 2007, he proposed a ban on "communist and all totalitarian propaganda and symbols".