Simona Hradílková

“Suddenly, it all went fine and I was employed in Tisk as a cleaning lady. It was – I know that it sounds ridiculous – I had a dream since I was sixteen or seventeen that I’d live in a courtyard balcony flat and work as a cleaning lady. That I end up in a position where there’s nothing left to take from me. That I’d be immune from all the pressure and coercion. People were losing jobs, losing opportunity for decent housing and so on. From the secret police perspective, I was living so down and out that there was virtually nothing they could do to me and moreover, they had a feeling that I was punished for it all. They thought I was living a miserable life, being so socially down. But I of course saw it very differently and was very content with it.”

“Ever since August ’88 when they gathered records about me visiting that demonstration and being active, as soon as some anniversary was approaching, I would spend it in pre-trial detention. I was born on 27 October so I spent both my 18th and 19th birthday in detention since they arrested us the day before. They drove us out of Brno because all the cells in Brno were full – so they’d drive me to Jihlava or Znojmo, for instance. In Jihlava in particular it was really unpleasant because the holiday was on Friday. They arrested me on the 27th but were only allowed to detain me for 48 hours. So, after 48 hours – which meant Saturday – they drove me to the station as if it was it. But then they realized that I was still able to get to some event so they only allowed me to walk up the stairs and then they detained me again, for another 48 hours. On Sunday evening, around or before midnight, they released me from the detention. I had neither the money, nor the means to get back to Brno. There were no cell phones, of course. I then probably convinced some bus driver to take me. It was really unpleasant, obviously.”