On Tuesday, Czech President Petr Pavel honored 48 personalities on the occasion of the Day of the Independent Czechoslovak State at Prague Castle. He lent the highest Czech state award to the Czech composer, playwright and actor Zdenek Svěrák and the world-famous Czech-American sportswoman Martina Navrátilová. Actress Anna Geislerová or the Chief of the General Staff of the Army of the Czech Republic (GŠ AČR) Karel Řehka also received the award, informs TASR correspondent in Prague.
- President Pavel honored 48 personalities on the occasion of the Day of the Independent Czechoslovak State.
- Svěrák, Navrátilová and other important persons received the highest honor.
- The Medal of Merit was awarded to artists, athletes and social figures.
- The event took place at Prague Castle in the presence of public officials.
Pavel: If someone claims that we are not in danger and that it is not necessary to strengthen security and defense, then they are knowingly lying
In his opening speech, Pavel spoke, among other things, about the recent parliamentary elections. “I will do everything to ensure that the results of the free elections can be fulfilled in an orderly, peaceful and constructive manner. But I will always, not only in these weeks, draw attention to the violation of the basic values of our constitution and the principles of democracy,” the president emphasized.
He also pointed out that the Czech Republic should guarantee its citizens the highest possible level of security, which, according to him, is today represented by membership in NATO. “If someone claims that we are not in danger and that it is not necessary to strengthen security and defense, citizen awareness, preparedness and resilience,… then they are knowingly lying. And if we lie to ourselves now, we will pay a high price in the future,” he emphasized.
Row of the White Lion
Then the president distributed the awards. He lent the highest Czech state award, which is the Order of the White Lion, five times. This award has military and civilian categories, each with five classes. He lent his military category of the 2nd class in memoriam to Hugo Vojt, a legionnaire, officer of the Czechoslovak Army and co-founder of the anti-Nazi resistance organization Obraná národa. As the representative regional military commander in Bratislava, he directed an action in March 1939, during which soldiers together with gendarmes disarmed the paramilitary units of the Hlinka Guard and arrested most of the Slovak political officials. He was executed in 1941.
The award in the same category, but 3rd class, was given by the president in memoriam to Jaromír Nechanský, an officer of the Czechoslovak foreign resistance and a participant in the anti-Nazi and anti-communist resistance.
Pavel praised Svěrák, Navrátilová and Drábová
Czech playwright, screenwriter, actor, writer and lyricist Zdeněk Svěrák received the Order of the White Lion of the Civil Class 2nd Group. He was awarded for extraordinary services to the state in the field of culture and art. In addition to him, this award, but of the 3rd class, was given to the world-famous sportswoman and former world number one tennis player Martina Navrátilová, who, according to the Prague Castle, is a “tireless defender of freedom and equality”. In memoriam, the president honored Dana Drábová, the long-time chairman of the State Office for Nuclear Safety.
The Czech president lent Tomáš Garrigua Masaryk’s row to three people. The 2nd class award went in memoriam to the first president of the Supreme Court of the Czech Republic, Otakar Motejl, as well as in memoriam to the signatory and spokeswoman of Charter 77, Dana Němcová, and the 3rd class to the co-founder and long-time director of People in Need, Šimon Pánek.
Anna Geislerová also received a medal for services to the state in the field of art
In addition, Pavel awarded eight medals for heroism and 32 for services to the state in various fields. For heroism in saving a human life, he awarded, for example, a pupil of the fourth year of primary school, Šimon Malý, who saved the life of his grandfather when he pulled him out of the water after he lost consciousness. For heroism in battle, the president awarded in memoriam Anna Malinova, who helped paratroopers from Operation Anthropoid and hid Slovak paratrooper Jozef Gabčík.
For example, the Czech actress Anna Geislerová received the medal for services to the state in the field of art, for whom the Castle praised her “firm civic attitudes”, or the world-famous Czech conductor Jakub Hrůša, who is currently the music director of the Royal Opera House in London. In the field of culture, Czech Radio’s war correspondent in Ukraine, Martin Dorazín, was awarded, in the field of sports, Olympians Martin Fuksa and Josef Dostál.
This year, Prague Castle chose from approximately 600 proposals for the award
For services to the state in the area of defense, the medal was awarded to the head of the General Staff of the Czech Republic, Karel Řehka, who, according to the Castle, has decisively played a major role in ensuring the security of the Czech Republic in the critical period since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Government advisor for national security Tomáš Pojar also received a medal for his important role after the start of the invasion.
According to the head of the president’s office, Milan Vašina, this year Prague Castle chose from approximately 600 proposals for the award. Last year there were almost 550 personalities, while the president honored 56 of them, two years ago 62. The ceremony was attended by the highest constitutional officials, deputies, senators, rectors, ambassadors and other guests.
Pavlo’s predecessor, Miloš Zeman, did not come to Prague Castle, which he explained by convalescence after a recent acute operation for an abscess. He did not participate in the awarding of state honors last year and the year before. However, former president Václav Klaus and his wife and also the widow of ex-president Václav Havel Dagmar came to Prague Castle.
