Jan Zajíc | |
|---|---|
 One of very few photos of Zajíc | |
| Born | |
| Died | (1969-02-25)25 February 1969 Prague, Czechoslovakia |
| Cause of death | Burns fromself-immolation |
| Honours | Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk |
Jan Zajíc (died 25 February 1969) was aCzech student who killed himself byself-immolation as apolitical protest.[1]
He was a student of the Střední průmyslová škola železniční (Industrial Highschool of Railways) technical college inŠumperk, specializing in railways, and was also interested in poetry andhumanities.
In 1969 he took part in ahunger strike and a commemoration ceremony by students forJan Palach near the statue ofSaint Wenceslas inPrague.
On the day of the twenty-first anniversary of the Communist takeover (25 February 1948),[2] he travelled toPrague accompanied by three other students. His intention was to warn the public against the forthcoming political "normalization" of the country. He had several letters challenging the people to fight against theWarsaw Pact'smilitary occupation ofCzechoslovakia. Around 1:30 in the afternoon he walked into the passageway of the building at No. 39 onWenceslas Square and ignited his chemical-soaked clothes. He was unable to run out of the door, and collapsed and died in the hallway.
In a letter he left behind he wrote:
Mommy, daddy, brother, little sister!
I will already be dead or close to death when you read this letter. I know what a severe blow my act will be to you, but don't be angry at me. Unfortunately, we are not alone in this world. I am not doing this because I would be tired of life; quite the contrary, I cherish it too much.
Hopefully, my act will make life better. I know life's price; it is the most precious thing. But I want a lot for you, for everyone, so I have to pay a lot. Do not lose your heart after my sacrifice. Tell Jacek to study harder and Marta too. You must never accept injustice, be it in any form. My death will bind you. I am sorry that I will never see you or that, which I loved so much. Please forgive me for arguing with you so much. Do not let them make me a madman.
Greet the boys, the river, and the forest.
— Jan Zajíc
The police prohibited his burial inPrague because they feareddemonstrations, such as the ones that followed the burial ofJan Palach. He was later buried in his hometown of Vítkov.
After theVelvet Revolution, a bronze cross was set into the ground in front of theNational Museum in Wenceslas Square to honour both Palach and Zajíc.
His death mask by sculptorOlbram Zoubek is situated at his high school (now Vyšší odborná škola a střední průmyslová škola Šumperk).
In 2019, a graphic novel was published about Zajíc's life and suicide.[3]
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