Memorial service marks 82nd anniversary of Ležáky atrocity

A memorial service was held at the former village of Ležáky in East Bohemia on Sunday, marking the 82nd anniversary of its annihilation by the Nazis. Among those who took part were President Petr Pavel and representatives of both houses of Parliament, ministries and the diplomatic community.

The event included a mass, the laying of wreathes and the reading out of victims’ names. A children’s choir performed and the national anthem was played.

The atrocity, which took place on June 24, 1942, came in retaliation for the killing of Nazi governor Reinhard Heydrich and followed the similar destruction of Lidice near Prague. When the Gestapo discovered that the parachutists sent to assassinate Heydrich had kept a radio transmitter in Ležáky they murdered 51 of its residents.