Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, Nov. 10: Czech President Petr Pavel will co-patron a special gala evening in Prague on November 11 to honour the 90th birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The event will also commemorate the 89th birthday of the Czech’s late first president, Václav Havel.
Earlier in the summer, President Pavel met with the Tibetan spiritual leader in Leh, Ladakh, during a private trip to congratulate him on his 90th birthday. During the meeting, he expressed his solidarity with Tibetans, emphasizing that the freedom to speak their language, practice their religion, and preserve their culture are basic human rights.
The meeting resulted in China suspending all engagements with the Czech President. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson stated that the meeting contravened the Czech government’s commitment to China and harmed China’s sovereignty.
The evening cultural program titled “Dalai Lama 90, Havel 89 – Tribute to His Holiness the Dalai Lama” will take place at Divadlo na Vinohradech (Vinohrady Theatre) in Prague.
The event is organised by the Czech Support Tibet association in collaboration with the Václav Havel Library and United Islands. It is held under the co-patronage of Senate Vice-President Jitka Seitlová and Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda. The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) President Penpa Tsering is scheduled to attend the tribute event.
Czechia has a history of strong ties to the Tibetan cause, rooted in its own democratic transition after decades of communist rule. After the 1989 Velvet Revolution, Czechoslovakia emerged from decades of communist rule. The nation’s leaders, especially Václav Havel, identified deeply with the Tibetan struggle for freedom and non-violent resistance to Chinese oppression. Havel, himself a former dissident, saw parallels between Tibet’s plight and Czechoslovakia’s experience under Soviet domination.
President Václav Havel was one of the first world leaders to officially invite His Holiness the Dalai Lama to visit (in 1990), only months after the fall of communism. Havel and the Dalai Lama maintained a close friendship for decades. The Dalai Lama made multiple visits to Prague (1990, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2016). Havel often defended Tibet publicly, saying, “We have to be the voice of those who cannot speak freely.”
