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Jiri DienstbierCzechoslovakian and Czech politician, diplomat and journalist.
Date of Birth: 20.04.1937
Country:  Czech |
Content:
- Jiří Dienstbier
- Prague Spring and Dissent
- Imprisonment and Return to Politics
- Minister of Foreign Affairs and Leader of the Civic Movement
- United Nations and Kosovo
- Later Career and Legacy
Jiří Dienstbier
Early Life and CareerJiří Dienstbier was a prominent Czechoslovak and later Czech politician, diplomat, and journalist. He studied journalism at the Faculty of Philosophy of Charles University. In 1958, he joined the Czechoslovak Radio and the Communist Party. Dienstbier served as a correspondent in Europe, Asia, and the United States.
Prague Spring and Dissent
During the Prague Spring of 1968, Dienstbier supported the reform movement. As a result, he lost his job and was expelled from the Communist Party. He then worked as an engineer at a planning institute. Dienstbier became active in the dissident movement and was one of the first signatories of Charter 77. His writings were published in samizdat.
Imprisonment and Return to Politics
From 1979 to 1982, Dienstbier was imprisoned. After his release, he was forced to work as a manual laborer. In 1989, he joined the Civic Forum and participated in the demolition of the barriers at the border with Germany.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Leader of the Civic Movement
From 1989 to 1992, Dienstbier served as Minister of Foreign Affairs. He also led his own party, the Civic Movement, from 1991 to 1996.
United Nations and Kosovo
From 1998 to 2001, Dienstbier worked for the United Nations as the Special Representative for Human Rights in the former Yugoslavia. He was highly critical of the Kosovo mission and opposed holding elections. His views drew the ire of the Transitional Administrative Council, and he was accused of incompetence by Bernard Kouchner. Dienstbier later compared Kosovo's declaration of independence to the Munich Agreement.
Later Career and Legacy
From 2008 until his death, Dienstbier was a senator. He opposed the deployment of American military bases in the Czech Republic and supported switching the country's nuclear power plants to Russian fuel.
