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TIMELINE OF EVENTS - CANDLE DEMONSTRATION
November 1987
- Campaign for signatures launched to gain support of the 31-point petition for religious freedom in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic
December 1987
- Letter to the Slovak organisations operating internationally sent by M. Šťastný, Deputy-Chairman of the Slovak World Congress, calling for support of the protest demonstrations in front of the Czechoslovak embassies abroad
January 1988
- The 31-point petition signed by Cardinal František Tomášek
- Letters of M. Šťastný about the demonstrations planned abroad identified by the Czechoslovak secret service
February 1988
- Message from M. Šťastný to J. Čarnogurský including the invitation to 'go home' and join the demonstrations so as to draw the attention of international public to the persecution in Slovakia
- 95,000 signatures in support of the 31-point petition
March 1988
- Preparations for the demonstration, information channelled to the activists of the underground church
10 March 1988
- Notification about the demonstration sent by F. Mikloško to the District National Committee (ObNV). Demonstration for religious freedom and respect for human rights scheduled for 25 March 1988, 18:00 - 18:30. in Hviezdoslavovo Square, Bratislava; demonstrators encouraged to light candles to express their consent with the petitioned requests.
15 March 1988
- Consent of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic to perform an extraordinary security operation
- Task Force set up in Bratislava
- Meeting of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the Slovak Communist Party about the demonstration
17 March 1988
- Ban issued by the District National Committee (ObNV) on the demonstration and sent to F. Mikloško
- Instruction issued by General A. Lorenc to prevent the most noted activists of the underground church and Charter 77 members from joining the demonstration
21 March 1988
- F. Mikloško appeals against the ban on demonstration
24 March 1988
- Most of the university students compelled to go home
- Country-wide transport security operation launched to impede the inbound traffic to Bratislava
- Instruction issued by the Task Force of the Slovak Socialist Republic to prevent the organisers from getting to Bratislava
- Second ban on the demonstration issued by the Department of Internal Affairs of the National Public Security
- J. Čarnogurský interrogated
25 March 1988
- Arrests of the most noted activists of the underground church and Charter 77 members across the country from early morning
- 17:16 Square closed, public transport diverted
- 17:30 Arrival of the political commission at the Hotel Carlton
- 17:55 Decision to use the police units and equipment; more than 1,000 policemen deployed to keep the demonstration in check
- 18:00 Start of the demonstration attended by 8,000 - 10,000 demonstrators
- 18:00 - 18:25 Crowd dispersed by the police
- 18:26 Two water cannons used by the police to disperse the crowd
- 18:00 - 2:20 As many as 141 demonstrators captured and interrogated
- Evaluation meeting of the police
- Evaluation meeting of the State Security (ŠtB)
- 20:00 Demonstration mentioned on the BBC News
- 20.30 Demonstration evaluated by the activists of the underground church
- 21:00 Extensive report on the demonstration broadcasted by Voice of America
26 March 1988
- Several demonstrators taken in preventive custody
- Uniform piece of news and commentaries about a seditious demonstration brought by most of the Czechoslovak daily newspapers
- First pieces of information and commentaries about the demonstration brought by the Western radio networks
March 1988
- Protests of Western diplomats against the police intervention
- Reactions of Western press
May 1988
- More than 500,000 citizens of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic signed the 31-point petition
October 1988
- Court trials faced by some of the participants of the demonstration
March 1989
- Jiří Fajmon sentenced for participating in the demonstration
Prepared by Ján Šimulčík
Author of the book 'Break of Dawn - Candle Demonstration of 25 March 1988'
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