Evangelical priest Svatopluk Karásek dies at 78

Former dissident, singer and MP, Evangelical priest Svatopluk Karásek has died at the age of 78, the ctk news agency reported on Sunday, citing Karásek’s close friend Jiří Fiedor.

Karásek, who was a priest of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren and a prominent member of the Czech underground, was persecuted by the Communist regime and spent part of his life in exile with his wife and children.

He returned in 1997 and served as member of the Chamber of Deputies and later as the government’s commissioner for human rights.