“Skpt came to Valdice completely outside the program. Josef Čech mocked Mach for working with him, went to Toufar’s cell and beat him there. After that, Toufar stopped talking at all, he doesn’t even answer a greeting.”
This is how one of the testimonies in the Archives of the Security Forces looks like about the severe torture of the priest Josef Toufar. On Thursday, the Regional Court in Hradec Králové dealt with one of the most heinous communist crimes. After 75 years, he gave in to the proposal to announce the judicial rehabilitation of the priest. He admitted that the Catholic priest was arrested at the end of January 1950 without permission. The priest died after a harsh interrogation by the State Security on February 25, 1950.
“Priest Josef Toufar was illegally deprived of his personal freedom,” said judge Miroslav Mjartan.
The priest’s torture was preceded by one of the most mysterious events in modern Czech history. On December 11, 1949, Toufar finished the Advent sermon in the church in Čihošť, when the cross on the main altar moved several times. The mysterious phenomenon was later described by about 20 witnesses, the priest himself did not see it. So far, no one has been able to explain the event.
Believers and the curious began to flock to the small town in Vysočina, and the communist system accused the priest of having organized the miracle with the help of the Vatican.
Číhoště miracle
The priest from Číhoště, who was martyred because of the miraculous movement of the cross in his church, should be blessed. The collection of documents and evidence is currently being completed.
Members of the StB pulled Toufar away from his statement on the evening of January 28, 1950. And it was at this time that justice was dealing with him now after almost 75 years. “There is no doubt in my opinion that the arrest and subsequent investigation were against the laws in force at the time. Prosecutor Čížek spoke about it in 1968,” said prosecutor František Jedlička.
Defense lawyer Lubomír Müller spoke in the same way. “I completely agree with what the prosecutor said,” he praised the rare agreement.
He said that “light has been given for darkness and darkness for light” until now.
The proposal to restore Toufar came from the Czech, Slovak and Ruthenian Refugee Museum and its founder Jan Kratochvil. “I thought it was important to solve this neglected case. I was with the papal nuncio about it. I believe that the court in Hradec Králové will revive the murdered man,” he told Seznam Zprávám before the decision.
The court finally heard his wish. The decision is final.
2024-10-10 08:50:00
#Correcting #Communist #agitation #years #court #dismissed #priest #Toufar
