Brno - The very first day the controversial exhibition of human bodies opened to public on the outskirts of Brno on Tuesday, the local council received a complaint against the show.
The same man who tried in vain to have the exhibition stopped when it was on display in Prague's Lucerna hall two years ago appealed to the councilors of Modřice to issue a temporary restraining order against it, claiming that putting remains of deceased people on public display amounted to a breach of funerary law.
The law stipulates that dead bodies can only be displayed in public in a coffin and in a dignified manner. Radek Mikula, who lives in Prague, says the organizer of "Bodies Revealed" has violated both of these conditions.
"I do not live in Brno or thereabouts but I am concerned as a citizen when I see such shows taking place because it undermines the stability of our legal order. I believe I have a chance to succeed with my complaint on the second attempt," Mikula told Aktuálně.cz.
Not human remains but showpieces
The wording of his complaint is identical with the one he filed with the local council of Prague's first district in 1997. Back then, it was dismissed using the statement of police which came to the conclusion that the bodies in Lucerna were not human remains as such but rather showpieces.
The organizers are not worried this time either. "The show 'Bodies Revealed' fully complies with the law," said spokesman of the Live Nation agency Petr Novák.
Modřice mayor Josef Šiška has not seen Mr. Mikula's complaint yet. But he went for a preliminary inspection of the show on Tuesday morning.
"I examined the grounds and I saw that the show is taking place in a secluded space where you can only get when you pass through the counter. Those who feel offended by human bodies on display should just not go in," opines the mayor. Further steps will be taken after the authorities have officially received the complaint.
Local branch of the Christian Democratic Party (KDU-ČSL) has also voiced protest against the show. The deputy chair of the party David Macek called on the citizens of Brno to boycott the exhibition in an interview he gave to Mf DNES daily.
