Czech senators honour Jan Palach in Prague

Czech senators have paid tribute to Jan Palach at his memorial on Prague’s Wenceslas Square, the Czech News Agency has reported. Senate President Miloš Vystrčil (ODS) laid flowers alongside fellow senators to mark the legacy of the student who set himself alight on January 16, 1969 in protest against the apathy that followed the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in August 1968. Flowers were also placed by the Mayor of Prague 1, Terezie Radoměřská (TOP09).

Palach’s memory will be commemorated later today at a traditional gathering outside the Philosophical Faculty of Charles University on Jan Palach Square, which is due to be attended by Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda (ODS).

President Petr Pavel wrote on X that Jan Palach’s act remains, even 57 years on, a reminder that people must continue to defend their fundamental values. PM Andrej Babiš said Palach’s courage and determination are a lasting symbol of the fight for freedom and truth.