Supreme Court acquits 14 men who participated in 1966 "máničky" protest

The Supreme Court has acquitted 14 men who took part in the 1966 Prague protest against the forced haircutting of around 4,000 young long-haired males or "máničky", as they were known in Czech. The forced haircutting was coordinated by the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia and often carried out in prison cells under the supervision of the state police. The state police arrested the organisers of the protest and several participants, some of whom were given prison sentences.

In its ruling, the court stated that the original judgements did not respect the basic principles of a democratic society, including guaranteeing the right to freedom of speech and assembly, and were made in violation of the criminal law in effect at the time. The appeal was brought by Justice Minister Pavel Blažek. Eight of the 14 men are no longer alive.