In 1978, I was falsely accused of drug possession, given a two-year suspended sentence
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Jiří Vaněk was born on January 4, 1954 in Česká Lípa, he grew up in Liberec. His father was a member of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia and chief of the criminal police in Jablonec, his mother was a clerk, but she died soon after. Jiří Vaněk had three siblings and two half-siblings, as his father remarried. After elementary school he apprenticed as an electrician at Tesla Liberec. Due to disagreements with his father, he wore his hair long, was interested in Western rock music and had non-conformist views on the communist regime. His first problems with the police were due to his long hair, when he was beaten with a baton by members of the Public Security as a minor. He sued them, but on the basis of false testimony was given a suspended sentence for assaulting a public official. After reaching adulthood, he left home and worked as an electrician for Technical Services Liberec, later for OPBH Prague. Thanks to feigned psychological problems, he avoided military service and was able to become involved in the North Bohemian underground movement. He attended illegal concerts and weekend gatherings in rural houses, distributed samizdat publications, and connected with Prague dissidents and musicians from bands like The Plastic People of the Universe and DG 307. In 1976, together with his brother Jaroslav, he bought a house on the outskirts of Jablonec, where various informal cultural events were held. The police monitored their activities, regularly subjected visitors to identity checks, and at times physically assaulted them or drove them into surrounding forests without any means of return. In 1977, Jiří Vaněk signed Charter 77, collected additional signatures, and participated in the distribution of documents from the Committee for the Defense of the Unjustly Prosecuted. The State Security responded quickly, subjecting him to numerous interrogations accompanied by beatings or threats, as well as inspections at his workplace and home. In 1978, he was arrested and falsely accused of possessing narcotics. After eleven months in custody, he was sentenced on October 16, 1979, by the District Court in Jablonec, along with his brother Jaroslav and friend Ivan Duchoň, to four and a half years of unconditional imprisonment; after an appeal, the sentence was reduced to two years. He served his sentence in the Bělušice labor camp, initially working on railway track maintenance and later as an electrician in a prefab panel factory. During his imprisonment, he lost both his house in Jablonec and his apartment in Prague by order of the state authorities. After his release, he rejoined underground activities, although he remained under constant surveillance by State Security. After 1989, Jiří Vaněk worked as an electrician until his retirement. He was recognized as a participant in the anti-communist resistance.
