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23. 10. 2013 10:33

The 1st member of the anti-communist resistance and opposition recognised by the Ethics Commission - Ing. Jaroslav Horyna

The Ethics Commission awarded the Member Certificate of the Anti-Communist Resistance and Opposition for active participation within the so-called “Stočes Group”, whose members fought against communism in Czechoslovakia in years 1948-1949, by which he fulfilled the characteristics of the form of anti-communist resistance and opposition according to § 3, par. 3 of the Act No. 262/2011 Coll.

Ing. Jaroslav Horyna, born 2nd August 1924, was in September 1949 accused of high treason and in the ruling of the State Court in Prague of 21st October 1949 File No. Or I 1189/49 in the process with “Ladislav Stočes and others“ he was found guilty of the crime of association against the state according to § 2 par. 3 of the Act No. 231/1948 Coll. and sentenced to 4 years in a high security prison. The listed ruling also imposed a fine of 100 000 CZK, confiscation of half of Jaroslav Horyna’s property and the loss of honorary civil rights for three years. Jaroslav Horyna served his sentence in the mine in Vinařice and in Jáchymov.

Ing. Horyna was judged within the so-called “Stočes Trial”, which was a trial with the members of former members of the youth Czechoslovak National-Socialist Party. As the communist regime tried to discredit this party in a trial with its leading representatives with Dr. Milada Horáková at the forefront, the regime also made an effort to discredit the then new generation of this party. During the trial 33 persons were found guilty with many of them given harsh sentences. The activities of the “Stočes Group” lay, according to the ruling and the investigation file, in intelligence activities (gathering of information) and providing help to persons crossing the border by facilitating contacts to exile functionaries of the former Czechoslovak National-Socialist Party abroad.

Ing. Jaroslav Horyna joined the Czechoslovak National-Socialist Party in June 1945, in autumn 1946 he was elected Chair of the National-Socialist Youth in Prague VIII. This made him automatically a member of the Committee of the Prague Region Youth, where he met Ladislav Stočes. Ing. Jaroslav Horyna accepted the offer of Stočes, the main organizer of the group, to cooperate with the group in June/July 1948. Both men had regular conspiratorial meetings, in the last three months prior to their arrest they met once a week at the St. Jacob Church in Prague 1. The last meeting of the two men should have occurred one week before their arrest. Ing. Jaroslav Horyna must have been aware from the start of his contacts with Stočes that this activity is illegal and recruited at least 4 persons into this illegal group. The designation of Jaroslav Horyna within this group was “8 D 1”.

With regard to the above listed the Ethics Commission considers proven that the activities of Jaroslav Horyna, described in his application for awarding a Member Certificate of the Anti-Communist Resistance and Opposition as well as in the ruling of the State Court in Prague of 21st October 1949, File No. Or I 1189/49 in which he was found guilty of the crime of association against the state according to § 2 par. 3 of the Act No. 231/1948 Coll. and sentenced to 4 years in a high security prison and the confiscation of half of Jaroslav Horyna’s property, fulfills the characteristics of the form of anti-communist resistance and opposition according to § 3, par. 3 of the Act No. 262/2011 Coll. as a follow-up to provision §2 b) of the Act No. 262/2011 Coll., as this constitutes active participation in an organization or group, whose members fought against the communist regime by means listed in this provision, with the aim to remove, significantly weaken or erode or otherwise harm the communist totalitarian authority in Czechoslovakia and renew freedom and democracy. The Ethics Commission refuses to hold against Ing. Jaroslav Horyna the fact that he did not reveal the members of his former group.

The Ethics Commission does not agree with the opinion of the Ministry that the fact, that the “Stočes Group” had been infiltrated by StB shortly after its establishment, could be held against Ing. Jaroslav Horyna, as the Ministry did in the justification of its decision. The Ethics Commission is of the opinion that this fact itself cannot have an influence on the subjective efforts and attitudes of the individual group members, who performed their activities within the group in good faith that they are fighting the communist establishment, as was the case of Ing. Jaroslav Horyna.

The Ethics Commission would like to appreciate the highly brave and exemplary attitudes of Ing. Jaroslav Horyna during his investigation by StB, his sentence and after his release, particularly the fact that he did not reveal the names of his collaborators to the StB and all through the duration of the communist regime remained true to the ideals for which he was imprisoned.

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