General Helidor Píka honoured in Prague on anniversary of execution

A ceremony was held in Prague on Thursday honouring General Helidor Píka, who became the first victim of judicial murder in Czechoslovakia on 21 June 1949. He had been found guilty of treason in a Communist Party-orchestrated show trial.

General Píka served in the Czechoslovak Legions in WWI before becoming one of the highest ranking and most respected officers in the interwar Czechoslovak army. He was a prominent member of the anti-Nazi resistance during WWII.

The memorial to him at Vítězné náměstí in Prague 6 was attended by relatives, representatives of the Czech government, veterans and members of the public.