Jana Pospíšilová

"I fully realized the fact that the regime considered religious people as its enemies while in the third year of high school. We went to visit Josef Hrdlička in Liptáň where he served as a priest back then. Somehow, it turned out that we were identified by the police in the village and they knew we were going to visit him. I was then summoned for an interrogation. I was seventeen and came in with my mum. Even before that, the secret policeman visited me in my school where they left me with him alone. He was asking such stupid questions: asking me in June what I did on 20 March, which I couldn't ever remember. Anyway, it wasn't pleasant and I felt bad. He asked me whether I wanted to finish my studies. That was a really unpleasant experience. At that point, I realized I was considered an enemy of the state. I found that very unfair. What kind of an enemy - I only wanted to do good as a Christian and to love everyone. And yet, I was marked as the enemy."

"I think they already had us in their list - us people who were going to Julek's and who were taking part in gatherings and activities. They managed to get hold of us during one of such events. We went to visit father Josef. However, any gathering in the presence of a priest or where it could be presumed people would be praying was forbidden by law as a religious gathering. So, they made use of having a reason to investigate on the various people there. I was definitely scared then. I was looking around me when I went to the church, to Julek's or to a gathering. I was checking if anyone was tracing me. And in fact, I was only caught once during an action which was not even eventful. I thought about the people who had to undergo this more often or who were facing serious pressure. I have to say, it was a lesson learned."