Charter 77: Communist Czechoslovakia's Rock 'N' Roll Revolution
- By Coilin O'Connor and
- Margot Buff
Forty years ago this week, the first civic opposition movement in the Eastern Bloc was born, and a rock band was at its heart. After several musicians were arrested on dubious charges, a group of Czechoslovak dissidents drew up a petition -- known as Charter 77 -- urging the communist government to observe basic human rights. RFE/RL spoke to Vratislav Brabenec, one of the document's signatories and the saxophonist in the band that started it all. (Produced by Coilin O'Connor and Margot Buff. Camera: Jaroslav Ptacnik)
Episodes
-
![Germany - NATO exercises on Baltic coast - Operation Steadfast Dart - screen grab]()
February 20, 2026On Icy Baltic Coast, NATO Forces Rehearse For War And Hybrid Threats
-
![Central Asia's 'Water Tower' Is Drying Up As Glaciers Vanish GRAB 1]()
February 19, 2026Central Asia's 'Water Tower' Is Drying Up As Glaciers Vanish
-
![Iranians Show Defiance Amid Memorials For Dead Protesters]()
February 18, 2026Iranians Show Defiance Amid Memorials For Dead Protesters
-
![Ukraine - Yevhen Tkachov, an aid worker with the NGO Proliska, has narrowly avoided being hit by enemy fire many times - screen grab]()
February 16, 2026The 9 Lives Of A Frontline Ukrainian Aid Worker
-
![A woman lays flowers at the grave of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny at the Borisovo cemetery in Moscow on February 16, 2026, marking the second anniversary of his death in an Arctic colony.]()
February 16, 2026Family Honors Navalny At Moscow Grave On Second Death Anniversary
-
![Germany - mass protests against government of Iran held in Munich during annual security conference - screen grab]()
February 14, 2026Hundreds Of Thousands In Munich Protest Against Iranian Regime
