Jan Zajíc (July 3, 1950 – February 25, 1969) was a

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places * Czech, ...

student who committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and ...

self-immolation The term self-immolation broadly refers to acts of altruistic suicide, otherwise the giving up of one's body in an act of sacrifice. However, it most often refers specifically to autocremation, the act of sacrificing oneself by setting oneself ...

as a

political protest A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration or remonstrance) is a public expression of objection, disapproval or dissent towards an idea or action, typically a political one. Protests can be thought of as acts of coopera ...

. He was a student of the Střední průmyslová škola železniční (Industrial Highschool of Railways) technical college in

Šumperk Šumperk (; german: Mährisch Schönberg) is a town in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 26,000 inhabitants. It is the centre of the north of Moravia and, due to its location, is known as "The Gate to the Jeseníky mountains ...

, specializing in railroads, and was also interested in poetry and

humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at t ...

. In 1969 he took part in a

hunger strike A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke a feeling of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most ...

and a commemoration ceremony by students for Jan Palach near the statue of

Saint Wenceslas Wenceslaus I ( cs, Václav ; c. 907 – 28 September 935 or 929), Wenceslas I or ''Václav the Good'' was the Duke ('' kníže'') of Bohemia from 921 until his death, probably in 935. According to the legend, he was assassinated by his younger ...

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

. On the day of the twenty-first anniversary of the Communist takeover (25 February 1969), he travelled to

accompanied by three other students. His intention was to warn the public against the forthcoming political "normalization" of the country. He had several letters challenging the people to fight against the Warsaw Pact's

military occupation Military occupation, also known as belligerent occupation or simply occupation, is the effective military control by a ruling power over a territory that is outside of that power's sovereign territory.Eyāl Benveniśtî. The international law ...

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

. Around 1:30 in the afternoon he walked into the passageway of the building at No. 39 on

Wenceslas Square Wenceslas Square ( Czech: , colloquially ''Václavák'' ) is one of the main city squares and the centre of the business and cultural communities in the New Town of Prague, Czech Republic. Many historical events occurred there, and it is a tra ...

and ignited his chemical-soaked clothes. He was unable to run out of the door, and collapsed and died in the hallway. In a letter he left behind he wrote: The police prohibited his burial in

because they feared

demonstrations Demonstration may refer to: * Demonstration (acting), part of the Brechtian approach to acting * Demonstration (military), an attack or show of force on a front where a decision is not sought * Demonstration (political), a political rally or prote ...

, such as the ones that followed the burial of Jan Palach. He was later buried in his hometown of Vítkov. After 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 ...

, a bronze cross was set into the ground in front of the

National Museum A national museum is a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In other countries a much greater numb ...

in Wenceslas Square to honour both Palach and Zajíc. His death mask by sculptor

Olbram Zoubek Olbram Zoubek (21 April 1926 – 15 June 2017) was a contemporary Czech sculptor and designer. His work was inspired by Swiss-Italian sculptor Alberto Giacometti. There is an extensive permanent exhibition of his sculptures and art in Litomyšl ...

is situated at his high school (now Vyšší odborná škola a střední průmyslová škola Šumperk).

References

A biography of Jan Zajic - Website of Charles University in Prague

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zajic, Jan 1950 births 1969 suicides College students who committed suicide People from Vítkov Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia Self-immolations in protest of the Eastern Bloc Suicides in Czechoslovakia Recipients of the Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk Czech anti-communists Suicides in the Czech Republic

See also

References