Prague - The world and the Czech Republic bid farewell to former Czechoslovak and Czech President Václav Havel on Friday, 23 December in a state funeral.
The ceremony was attended by former US President Bill Clinton, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, British Prime Minister David Cameron and other foreign statesmen.
IN PICTURES: State funeral of Vaclav Havel in Prague
Former Czech president Vaclav Havel dies at 75
Czech online daily Insider published what is most probably Havel's last political speech, delivered one week before his death. Due to Havel's worsened health state, his speech for a roundtable on democracy and human rights in Asia was read by Oldřich Černý, the executive director of Forum 2000. Forum 2000 is an organization founded by Václav Havel himself that organized the Prague discussion in December attended for example by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Iranian Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Shirin Ebadi or Chinese dissident Yang Jianli .
Havel's last speech was in line with his lifelong philosophy that puts people above state authority. After apologizing that due to his illness he could not deliver the speech himself, Havel said in the text read by Oldřich Černý that the world is entering "a rather dangerous phase" when it comes to human rights, with economic growth and energy interests getting priority over human rights and civic freedoms. "I think that one of the greatest stakes of politics today, and I am referring to the politics of the Euro-Atlantic community, is the superimposing of economic interests over everything else," Havel warned.
"As a result, some things are simply not talked about," said Havel. "Human rights issues, vis-á-vis ever-growing economic might of a country like China, are being relativized, and economic interests are being deliberately separated from (the issue of) basic freedoms. And this is very dangerous. This is very dangerous not only because solidarity with those pursuing freedom in different parts of the world is fading, but also for the Euro-Atlantic area itself, whose original identity is thus being lost."
"There is only one way how to fight what I, maybe too alarmingly, see as the beginning of a descent in the field of human rights. We have to keep an eye on what is happening in China, North Korea, but also in Cuba, in Belarus, and elsewhere, where human rights are being abused. And not only to keep an eye, but also loudly articulate our indignation and criticism over and over again, and use every conceivable occasion to express our support for dissidents in those countries, for the prisoners of conscience," Havel suggested.
"This may not have an immediate effect. But it serves as a source of hope and encouragement to those who very much need it. And this is very very important. I still very clearly remember when we had communist totalitarian regime here, and we were trying to stand up to it in a certain way. And we felt very intensely how important aid from abroad was for us, as well as the support and solidarity of people from various corners of the world who took interest in our activities. It was a great encouragement when we saw that there were many people, often very far away, who felt a similar responsibility for the world as we felt."
"We have been attempting now, for more than 20 years already, to return the solidarity that we received, and express support for all those who are fighting for human rights in Asia and elsewhere," Havel concluded his speech.
The text was read on Sunday, 11 December 2011 in Prague. Václav Havel died one week later, on Sunday 18 December.
