My husband lost 30 kilos and his hair turned completely white while in detention

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Naděžda Řezníčková was born in Kladno on 24 October 1929. Her father was the head of sourcing at Poldi, her mother was a housewife, and they had no other children. All family members were Sokol members and Naděžda played tennis competitively. Having completed high school in Prague, she studied English and Russian at the Institute of Modern Languages and worked as a translator in Poldi. She met Čestmír Řezníček, born in Markvarec near Louny on 25 May 1921, in Sokol. He worked as a technical clerk in Kablo Kladno. They married in October 1949 and their daughter Eva was born a year later. From February 1948 on, Řezníček was active in an illegal anti-communist group led by Bohuslav Procházka to whom he provided intelligence about production at the Kablo factory and the number of the plant’s militiamen. Řezníček was arrested on 17 March 1952. After questioning in Bartolomějská, he was on trial on 19 and 20 December 1952. The court rejected the lawyer hired by his wife and he was assigned an ex officio lawyer. During the trial, his wife could not recognize her husband because he had lost 30 kilograms and his hair had turned completely white while in detention. Čestmír Řezníček was sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment and forfeiture of all his property for subversion and espionage. He served his sentence in the Svatopluk camp in the Jáchymov area, mining for uranium ore. Three years later, he was transferred to Bytíz for the same work. His wife was allowed her first visit after one year, and she could send a letter once every three months. Due to his declining health, Čestmír Řezníček spent the final year in prison in Opava making weapon components. Naděžda Řezníčková was dismissed after her husband’s arrest and later worked a restaurant. Neighbours and acquaintances shunned her, and two army officers moved into her “vacated” apartment space. Her daughter was not allowed to study. Čestmír Řezníček was released on 16 March 1960. He returned home a broken man who shunned friends and the public. He worked as a miner in Kladno, retiring early due heart problems. Čestmír Řezníček died in Nižbor on 7 July 1979. After the collapse of the communist regime, he received an award as a participant in the anti-communist resistance.