Ing. Vladimír Konečný

“When I was in custody, in the regional court prison, it was just at the time when I was supposed to take my graduation exam. I had already successfully passed the written exams, which had been two months earlier, but I went to my graduation exam in handcuffs with warders from the regional prison, just imagine that, and on foot. During the exam I was able to respond to all the questions about my case in English because the warders didn’t understand that. I didn’t receive any favours, nor did I need them, and all the same I graduated with honours.”

“The investigation was led by inspector Vladimír Kohoutek. He was reassigned to State Security and transferred to Prague, and I was studying in Prague, and one time, right on Wenceslas Square, I met Kohoutek. The interesting thing is that Kohoutek immediately recognised me, even after several years, and he owned up to me - simply said, we talked together, chatted for a while there on Wenceslas Square. He asked me, for example: ‘How’s the illegal scene in Prague, what’s it like here?’ But that wasn’t an interrogational question, it was a conversational one. I said: ‘Inspector, I’m afraid that what with my studies I don’t have time to bother with things like that.”

“Those were real prison warders there, which is a completely different category of people than those with basic education. The regulations required they had to have at least upper primary education, some of them didn’t. They had some kind of catch-up classes there, and they were preparing to complete their education, so when they found out I was a student, and that I was to take my graduation exam - my cell turned into a classroom. They took turns there days on end, at least I had something to do, so I didn’t just stare at bars in the window.”