Karel Dufek (24 January 1916 – 16 December 2009) was a Czechoslovak diplomat and a

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

veteran who served in the

International Brigades The International Brigades () were soldiers recruited and organized by the Communist International to assist the Popular Front (Spain), Popular Front government of the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War. The International Bri ...

Youth

Dufek was born in Dolní Heřmanice, in the

Austro-Hungarian Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

Margraviate of Moravia The Margraviate of Moravia (; ) was one of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown within the Holy Roman Empire and then Austria-Hungary, existing from 1182 to 1918. It was officially administered by a margrave in cooperation with a provincial diet. I ...

(present-day

Žďár nad Sázavou District Žďár nad Sázavou District () is a Okres, district in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. Its capital is the town of Žďár nad Sázavou. Administrative division Žďár nad Sázavou District is divided into four Districts of the Czech ...

) on 24 January 1916. He studied at the

Masaryk University Masaryk University (MU) (; ) is the second largest university in the Czech Republic, a member of the Compostela Group and the Utrecht Network. Founded in 1919 in Brno, it now consists of ten faculties and 35,115 students. It is named after To ...

Brno Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...

between 1935 and 1937. During his student years, he joined the

Communist Party of Czechoslovakia The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia ( Czech and Slovak: ''Komunistická strana Československa'', KSČ) was a communist and Marxist–Leninist political party in Czechoslovakia that existed between 1921 and 1992. It was a member of the Com ...

in 1936.

War years

Dufek joined the International Brigades in Spanish Civil War 1937. In March 1938 he was serving as Deputy Battery Commander in the

Rosa Luxemburg Rosa Luxemburg ( ; ; ; born Rozalia Luksenburg; 5 March 1871 – 15 January 1919) was a Polish and naturalised-German revolutionary and Marxist theorist. She was a key figure of the socialist movements in Poland and Germany in the early 20t ...

Battalion. He remained in Spain until 1939. When leaving the country he was detained in France in a prison camp until 1940. In 1940 he went into exile in the

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, and remained there until 1944. Between 1944 and 1947 he served as Czechoslovak Liaison Repatriation and Tracing Officer with Allied Staff in France and

Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

, holding the rank of

Staff Captain Staff captain is the English translation of a number of military ranks: Historical use of the rank Czechoslovakia In the Czechoslovak Army, until 1953, staff captain (, ) was a senior captain rank, ranking between captain and major. Estonia T ...

Diplomatic career

Upon his return to Czechoslovakia he served as Section Head at the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...

1947–1948. In 1948 he was assigned the post as Head of the Cadres Department at the Ministry. Moreover, he was named Chair of the combined committee of the Communist Party at the Ministry. In December 1949 Dufek was named Ambassador of Czechoslovakia to

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. He presented his credentials as Minister on 26 December 1949. In

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

Dufek held the post of

Chargé d'affaires A (), plural ''chargés d'affaires'', often shortened to ''chargé'' (French) and sometimes in colloquial English to ''charge-D'', is a diplomat who serves as an embassy's chief of mission in the absence of the ambassador. The term is Frenc ...

. He served in that function until August 1951.

Arrest and jail

Dufek's diplomatic career was abruptly interrupted as he was arrested in 1951. He was called as a witness to the

Slánský trial The Slánský trial (officially English: "Trial of the Leadership of the Anti-State Conspiracy Centre Headed by Rudolf Slánský") was a 1952 antisemiticBlumenthal, Helaine. (2009). Communism on Trial: The Slansky Affair and Anti-Semitism in P ...

in 1952. Dufek and three other high-ranking diplomats (Richard Slánský, Eduard Goldstücker and Pavel Kavan) were tried by a Supreme Court Tribunal on 25–26 May 1953 at the first follow-up trials of the Slánský trial. Dufek was charged with treason, whilst the other three defendants were also charged with espionage. On 26 May 1953 Dufek was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment, having been denounced as a '

Trotsky Lev Davidovich Bronstein ( – 21 August 1940), better known as Leon Trotsky,; ; also transliterated ''Lyev'', ''Trotski'', ''Trockij'' and ''Trotzky'' was a Russian revolutionary, Soviet politician, and political theorist. He was a key figure ...

ite'. He was released from jail in 1955.

Rehabilitation

The inquiry commission under Rudolf Barák, which investigated the political trials, concluded that Dufek had been the victim of false accusations and recommended that he be acquitted of all charges and fully rehabilitated. The

Politburo A politburo () or political bureau is the highest organ of the central committee in communist parties. The term is also sometimes used to refer to similar organs in socialist and Islamist parties, such as the UK Labour Party's NEC or the Poli ...

of the Communist Party accepted this recommendation. Upon release from prison, he worked as chief editor of ''Mezinárodní politika'' ('International Politics') 1956–1965. In 1958 he became a member of the Central Committee of the CSSR Society for the Dissemination of Political and Scientific Knowledge/Socialist Academy. In 1960 he was promoted to member of the Presidium of the Socialist Academy. In 1965 he rejoined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, working as Head of its Press Section until 1968. He worked as press spokesman of the Ministry from July 1968 to 1969.

Ambassador to Brazil

On 25 July 1969 he assumed the post as Ambassador of Czechoslovakia to Brazil, replacing Ladislav Kocman. Dufek was removed from his post as Ambassador by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 31 March 1971. No public explanation was given for his removal.

Later life

In connection with the 70th anniversary of the Spanish Civil War, Dufek and two other surviving Czech volunteers of the International Brigades were personally received by the Czech Minister of Defence Karel Kühnl and thanked for their contributions in the struggle against fascism. According to the official web of the

Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic (MFACR; ; MZVČR) is a Czech government ministry responsible for international relations of the Czech Republic. The Ministry is headquartered in Černín Palace, Loretánské náměstí 5, 1 ...

Dufek died on 16 December 2009 in the

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

Decorations

*1946: Czechoslovak Military Medal for Merit *1948: Order of Liberation 1st Grade *1948: Polish Order of Virtuti militari 1st Grade *1949: Order of 25 February, 2nd Grade *1965: Commemoration Medal on 20th Anniversary of Liberation of CSSR *1965:

Order of the Red Star The Order of the Red Star () was a military decoration of the Soviet Union. It was established by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 6 April 1930 but its statute was only defined in decree of the Presidium of the ...

1st Grade *1966: For Services in Reconstruction

References

Notes

Citations

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dufek, Karel 1916 births 2009 deaths People from Žďár nad Sázavou District People from the Margraviate of Moravia Communist Party of Czechoslovakia members Ambassadors of Czechoslovakia to Brazil Ambassadors of Czechoslovakia to Turkey Czechoslovak people of the Spanish Civil War Masaryk University alumni Recipients of the Virtuti Militari (1943–1989) International Brigades personnel