Ivan Medek (July 13, 1925 – January 6, 2010) was a Czech classical music critic, radio broadcaster and journalist. Medek was an important voice of the Czech anti-communist opposition movement, particularly after being forced into exile from

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

in 1978. Medek collaborated closely with such Czechoslovak politicians as

Václav Havel Václav Havel (; 5 October 193618 December 2011) was a Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright, and former dissident. Havel served as the last president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1992 and then ...

and Pavel Tigrid in opposition to communist rule. He was a brother of the Czech painter Mikuláš Medek and the son of the general

Rudolf Medek Rudolf Medek (8 January 1890 in Hradec Králové – 22 August 1940) was a Czech poet, army-related prose writer, and a general in the Czechoslovak Legions in Russia. In 1919 he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order by George V which he sent ...

. PRECLÍK, Vratislav. Masaryk a legie (Masaryk and legions), váz. kniha, 219 pages, first issue - vydalo nakladatelství Paris Karviná, Žižkova 2379 (734 01 Karvina, Czechia) ve spolupráci s Masarykovým demokratickým hnutím (Masaryk democratic movement, Prague), 2019, , str. 23 - 24, 153 - 54 Medek was born in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

, on July 13, 1925. He began his career as both a classical music critic and journalist. He worked as a musician for the Czech Philharmonic until he was fired by the government for his support of the opposition. Medek was an original signatory of the

Charter 77 Charter 77 (''Charta 77'' in Czech and Slovak) was an informal civic initiative in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic from 1976 to 1992, named after the document Charter 77 from January 1977. Founding members and architects were Jiří Něm ...

manifesto in 1977. Persecution by the communist government for his participation in Charter 77 forced Medek into exile in neighboring

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

beginning in 1978. Medek began working at the

Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is the state-owned news network and international radio broadcaster of the United States of America. It is the largest and oldest U.S.-funded international broadcaster. VOA produces digital, TV, and radio content ...

in Austria, where he broadcast

news News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different media: word of mouth, printing, postal systems, broadcasting, electronic communication, or through the testimony of observers and witnesses to events. N ...

and information into

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

. His VoA radio broadcasts became an important link for anti-communist

dissidents A dissident is a person who actively challenges an established political or religious system, doctrine, belief, policy, or institution. In a religious context, the word has been used since the 18th century, and in the political sense since the 20th ...

in his native Czechoslovakia. Medek returned to Czechoslovakia from exile in 1989 during the

Velvet Revolution The Velvet Revolution ( cs, Sametová revoluce) or Gentle Revolution ( sk, Nežná revolúcia) was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations agains ...

. In 1993, Medek was appointed to the office of the presidency under

, the first president of the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

. He later became the head of the presidency, or chancellor, under Havel. Medek died in

on January 6, 2010, at the age of 84. He was survived by his wife, Helena.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Medek, Ivan 1925 births 2010 deaths Charter 77 signatories Czech anti-communists Czech classical musicians Czech journalists Czech radio personalities Musicians from Prague Recipients of the Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk