Czech Republic

On Wednesday, the Jail Service of the Czech Republic carried out a serious raid in Valtická jail. It was a precautionary measure on account of suspicions that the prisoners’ revolt was imminent. Though the suspect was not confirmed, the intervention nonetheless lasted 5 hours and employees from a number of prisons had been concerned.

Nevertheless, this was not the primary downside of this jail just lately. Firstly of June, a big group that smuggled addictive substances went immediately into the jail. A complete of 9 folks had been charged, 5 of whom are prisoners. On the similar time, the jail is named the hardest jail in our nation.

If the revolution actually occurred, this could not be the primary time in our historical past after a revolution. Already in 1990, there was a jail riot in Leopoldovská jail. Then there was violence that needed to be suppressed by drive. This was probably the most severe issues within the newly established democratic state.

Even in Czechoslovakia on the time, it was a troublesome time after the Velvet Revolution. The brand new president Václav Havel tried to vary the society from the prevailing totalitarianism to a new child democracy. Due to this fact, Havel selected a big amnesty. This disturbed many of the prisoners. 23,000 of the whole of 31,000 had been launched.

Amnesty is at all times a controversial resolution and it will depend on its scope and the way society will settle for it. Anyway, the President’s message was clear on the time. He wished to offer a second probability to everybody who doesn’t serve the sentence for severe crimes to reside in a democracy, and on the similar time he wished the communist crimes that occurred due to bad- will right the regime on the time. .

It was in Leopoldov, Slovakia, the place prisoners had been despatched for very severe crimes. However they did not like that they weren’t launched. The entire state of affairs started to boil over when, in March 1990, 217 Leopoldov prisoners led by Tibor Polgário started a starvation strike to protest the discharge.

We are able to solely speculate why the authorities allowed the state of affairs to escalate, however the starvation strike shortly changed into the takeover of a number of jail blocks. However, it took practically two weeks to resolve the state of affairs. It was their laziness that inspired the prisoners to imagine that they had been in management and that they’d fulfill their calls for.

The truth that everybody within the new order was afraid of any violent response could have performed an element. There was concern that this might worsen the notion of our new political management internationally. As well as, a number of others joined the unique prisoners and people who refused had been taken as hostages.

In the long run, it was determined that the entire state of affairs could be dealt with by the military. Along with troopers, she additionally despatched in 6 armored autos with which she started to assault the jail. However the prisoners felt a bonus and began throwing burnt bottles on the navy gear. The entire state of affairs was difficult by the truth that the struggle was additionally occurring contained in the corridors and the cells.

The prisoners had been armed with improvised weapons and weren’t going to give up. As a result of they’d entry to the kitchen, laundry and automotive park, they had been capable of barricade themselves successfully. As well as, they obtained gasoline, which they used to fill the bottles that they threw to the military. They even managed to make a flamethrower.

Most of the prisoners had been drunk or medicine and principally knew that the state of affairs had gone too far. Due to this fact, they knew they’d nothing to lose and hoped that the brand new regime would accommodate them as a substitute of combating them. As well as, the situations within the jail weren’t appropriate and lots of prisoners wished to die for his or her freedom.

The intervention lasted two and a half hours, and in the long run, the prisoners who had been restrained started to threaten to shoot the 2 enemies. Regularly, they began setting fireplace to the jail to maneuver the emergency models out of the constructing. On the finish of the revolution, the unhappy steadiness was 1 prisoner lifeless and 29 wounded; then again, 11 members of the safety forces had been wounded, one in all whom was in a severe situation. Out of 11 buildings, 5 had been burnt to the bottom.

Tibor Polgário was not going to just accept failure

Tibor Polgário was the chief of the complete revolution and even declared himself the director of the jail throughout that point. He was a reporter sentenced to 9 years in jail for theft and extortion. After dropping the battle, he determined to work out an escape plan with 6 different prisoners, which he did the next yr.

He then confirmed that he’s not likely that conversant in violence. First, Tibor himself attacked one of many guards, who was stabbed by one other participant. Tibor placed on his uniform and left with the remainder of the group into the management heart, stabbing a couple of extra guards within the course of. They then fled and stole a number of vehicles. Throughout their escape, they drank alcohol and made one mistake after one other, similar to getting on the fallacious practice. It took 20 hours to catch them.

Tibor Polgário was then sentenced to life imprisonment together with two different accomplices. The remainder of the group had been sentenced to between 13 and 18 years. It was fascinating that the prisoners sympathized as a part of society throughout the revolution. Nevertheless, they dispersed as quickly because it grew to become clear that the masterminds of the revolution had killed a number of guards. Everybody realized that they weren’t nation heroes, however cold-blooded killers and criminals who wished freedom.