FFWPU Europe and the Middle East: 18 Survived Years In Communist Prison, Marie Zivna Did Not

Marie Živná in the communist prison Autumn 1973. Photos taken by prison authorities. From the archive of FFWPU Slovakia.

A brave martyr in the former Czechoslovakia - 50th anniversary of the death of Marie Živná in a communist prison cell

Part 2 of a series commemorating Marie Živná. See part 1

by Dr. Juraj Lajda, publisher.

On 13th April 2024, we commemorated the 50th anniversary of the passing of Marie Živná, a Unification Church martyr in the former Czechoslovakia.

To mark the occasion, the Czech chapter of the Family Federation, together with the municipal authorities of the Czech Dr. Juraj Lajda, Photo (2024) village of Svojanov, where Marie was born, organised a memorial meeting in the Town Hall. Distinguished guests and village residents participated.

The large Czech online newspaper Novinky.cz reports, “From an early age, Marie Živná was shaped by the environment in which she grew up. Her father was a castellan in a medieval castle, where she watched him paint pictures on winter evenings. It was her love of history and art that led her to study art history at the Faculty of Philosophy in Brno. She was just about to graduate, and she had also written her diploma thesis, in which she researched a set of Gothic churches in the Svojanov region. In the end, however, everything turned out differently.” (Novinky 15th April 2024, translated from Czech. Original article)

In 1972 Marie met members of the Unification Church at the university in Brno and soon joined this new and fast growing movement. It didn’t take long before it attracted the attention of the secret services. They realised the movement from South Korea was opposed to communism.

The first member was arrested on 11th September 1973, and one week after that, many believers in Bratislava and other cities were taken into custody. A trial took place months later where 18 young men and women were found guilty of “subverting the republic”. They received unconditional prison sentences of up to five years. 19 would have been sentenced, but one of them, Marie Živná, died in her prison cell before the trial took place.

Theatre critic Jiří P. Kříž The mayor of Svojanov emphasized in his opening speech that during the time of communism, people could not freely practice their religion.

Theatre critic Jiří P. Kříž, who met Marie during joint activities at the Society of Philosophy Listeners,

“Marie Živná’s heroism is not a showy standing on the barricades. She was a pure girl from Svojanov who managed to resist and until the end not give in. To this day, nobody knows anything about this.”

The next speaker was Milena Blatná, BEng, the president of the Confederation of Political Prisoners in the Czech Republic. She described the atmosphere of the 1950s and 1970s under the communist regime. Marie lost her life for her ideals, and no one causing this tragedy was punished, Mrs. Blatná said.

Dr. Juraj Lajda, the moderator of the event, who himself spent 3 years and 2 months in communist prison, recalled:

“In 1990, I visited Marie’s parents in Svojanov, together with Dr. Andrew Wilson, an American professor. The father of Marie showed us a telegram that had come from Bratislava. It said, ‘Your daughter has Milena Blatná, BEng, the died; come and get her things immediately.’” president of the Confederation of Political Lajda declared with emotion that Marie must not be forgotten. “She is a Prisoners in the Czech role model; she represents noble values and a noble character,” he Republic added. Then he gave a short presentation describing the history of the Unification Movement.

Alžbeta Danišková Mária Uhnáková Anton Uhnák

Afterwards, a short video was shown in which Alžbeta Danišková, leader of the Unification Church at that time and the main person in the trial, spoke about Marie Živná. Alžbeta was given a four years and four months prison sentence by the totalitarian regime.

Another speaker was Anton Uhnák, BEng, who served three years and eight months behind bars. He recalled that in 1968 there was the Prague Spring movement, but Soviet tanks soon interrupted the reform process. At that time, Reverend Moon founded International Federation for Victory over Communism.

“We need young people who are willing to sacrifice their lives for God. We need to find the logic of love,” Uhnak concluded.

Dorota Šimeková, the next speaker, was jailed by the communist rulers for three years and eight months. She pointed out that true freedom means freedom of the soul, and added that Marie ought to have been crowned for her humility.

Mária Uhnáková was held prisoner for three years and two months. For her, Marie Živná had a deep heart. When Maria prayed for hours and thought of Marie Živná, images of flowers always came to her.

“Marie left this world with a radiance emanating from her, like the ‘princess of Svojanov’”, Maria Uhnakova said.

Dorota Šimeková With a touching deep inner feeling, she recited a poem she herself wrote, dedicated to Marie Živná.

Marcela Gregůrkova, MD, a medical doctor who joined the Family Federation after the fall of communism in 1990, said that many young people at that time searched for the meaning of life and for God. After the fall of communism, it was possible to speak about God freely. But this was not possible for those who lived before that time. Marie Živná lost her life because of her faith.

Finally, Suzana Strkulová, the current president of the Family Federation in the Czech Republic, said that she had not experienced hardline communism. Everybody has the ideal to have a good family, to have children and to be happy. Marie Živná was never allowed to have that, and that made her sacrifice all the greater.

In the next part of the program, others in the audience had the chance to speak. Many expressed that they had known Marie since childhood and described her as the best person they had met. One woman recalled going to school with her. She remembered Marie as a great girl.

Novinky.cz included the words of František Beneš, a friend of Marie from her university days, who helped Marie photographing churches for her thesis,

“When that terrible telegram arrived, I was at the factory. It was a shock throughout the village. It spread like wildfire: ‘Maruška died in prison.’

One person commented on it saying: ‘Well, what did she want? Society gave her an education, and she joined anti-state groups.’

My blood started boiling. I shouted at him: ‘Do you approve of this?’

Shortly after, my supervisor called me, ‘Hey Franto, watch your mouth. I’ve got a report against you for insulting the party.’ That’s how it was back then.”

Afterwards, the participants went to the local cemetery where Marie is buried. Here they laid wreaths, sang, and prayed.

The memorial meeting was attended by over 90 people, mostly local residents who for many years had not been able to talk about this case.

Those who attended the meeting expressed their appreciation, because it allowed them to learn more about the circumstances of Marie Živná’s life and death. Guests also came from Slovakia and Austria.

Marie Živná’s brother attended the meeting with his wife and daughter.

On 15th April, the largest Internet newspaper Novinky.cz covered the event. Their article was penned by a regional journalist who attended the commemorative meeting.

“18 Survived Years in Communist Prison, 1 Did Not” - text: Dr. Juraj Lajda, 16th April 2024

Part 2 of a series commemorating Marie Živná. See part 1

Featured image above: Marie Živná in the communist prison Autumn 1973. Photos taken by prison authorities. From the archive of FFWPU Slovakia.

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The place Marie Zivn6 died in a detention cell 17th April 7974 - the Palace of Justice in Bratislava, Slovakia. Photo: Laurene Klas

Part 1 of a series commemorating Marie Zivn6. See part 2 Search.

No one knows exactly how Marie Zivna (1949-1974) d ied l ith April 1974, but al l agree that it was under mysterious circumstances whi le being held in detention by the communist authorit ies in Bratislava. Categories She had been arrested by the secret police of Czechoslovakia in the Autumn of 1973 along with 18 others as part of a crackdown on religious groups.

A ltogether 200 persons connected to the thriving Unification Church were Send us a message interrogated. Many of them had joi ned the new relig ious First Na me Last Name

movement that had come to the country w ith an underground m issionary, Emi lie Steber!, from neighbouring Austria i n October Email * 1968. This was 12 yea rs before underground m issiona ries were Emilie Steber/ (7932-7987), the first underground Email Address sent to other East European missionary for the nations as part of a legendary Unification Church to Your Message * project beh ind the Iron Cu rtain communist countries that came to be ca lled “M ission behind the Iron Curtain. Butterfly”. Photo: FFWPU

A l l those arrested survived the ill treatment beh ind the prison wa lls, except Marie Zivna. 50 years after her untimely death, a program to honour her was Submit held 13 th Apri l 2024 in her smal l hometown of Svojanov, 60 km north of the large Czech city of Brno. Another commemorative meeting was held in Bratislava, Slovakia on 7 th Apri l.

Nov inky, the most visited Czech on line newspaper, reported on the event in Svojanov and wrote about Marie,

Novinky.cz “The political and socia l relaxation of the late 1960s was fol lowed by norma lization. In the atmosphere of tighten ing screws, Marie found hope in a faith. In 1972, she became one of the first Czechoslovak members of the Unification Church. The newly formed movement, stand ing outside official structures, immed iately provoked a reaction from the regime.

A group of believers was arrested in Bratislava, and a trial ensued, in which 18 young people were sentenced to unconditiona l imprisonment for subverting the republic. The nineteenth, Marie Zivna, d id not survive to see the end of the trial. But what exact ly happened behind the wa lls of the detention cel l in the Bratislava Pa lace of Justice on April 11, 1974, is unknown.” (Novinky 15 th Apri l 2024, translated from Czech. Original article)

Barbara Grabner, a journa list in Bratislava, t e lls News and Insights,

Marie Zivn6, the first martyr in the East Bloc, here in Summer of 7973, months A photo of Marie Zivn6 before she got (7949-7974) a t the age of arrested. 78, displayed at the nJ.-.,…_r,…, . CC\Alnl I

11,vLv. rr vv,v commemoranve meenng in Svojanov on 13th April September 1973 the 2024. The picture had persecution started; been taken for her high Marie was arrested end school graduation. Photo: of autumn 1973. Like FFWPU other members she waited in the prison for the tria l to take p lace in Bratislava. The police released Marie for a wh ile because they thought that she would lead them to other suspects. During that period, Margita Vrabelova, the mother of an imprisoned member of the Unification Church, met Marie for the last time,

‘I met her at the main station. I was walking upsta irs, and she was walking downstairs. We stopped and she asked me for small change for a bus ticket. I wanted to give her more money, but she said that she didn’t want to carry any extra money. So, I gave her the amount she asked for. I think that she asked for the change from me just to have a reason to stop and talk to me and tell me a little bit about her situation.’

Ladislav Simek too met Marie,

‘When I crossed the ma i n square, Marie was walking toward me from the opposite direction. I knew it would be better not to talk to her because of the secret police observi ng us. We greeted each other just with our eyes in very careful manner. It was the last time that I saw Marie alive.”’

Novinky writes,

The official declaration where Father Moon declares Marie Zivna martyr on 1st May 1994. Photo: FFWPU

“However, Jiri P. Kriz [a friend of Marie from her student days in Brno] does not believe that she committed su icide, as the officia l version claimed.

‘It was not technically possible. And it contradicts her state of mind. She managed to contact another inmate, so we know she was joyful. What those StB [State Security, the secret police] agents did to her then exceeded the imagination of any of us,’ Kriz added, according to his findings, there are no written documents in the archives about what happened.”

Friends of Marie tried to find out how she had died. They found that Marie’s parents had been shocked upon seeing their daughter’s body i n the coffin. Her hair had turned grey while in prison. How could the hair of a 24- year old suddenly lose its colour? The pa rents must From the grave of the Zivna have suspected that Marie family in Svojanov, Czech had been seriously Republic. Photo: FFWPU mistreated, maybe even tortured while i mprisoned.

In his autobiography As a Peace-loving Global Citizen, Sun Myung Moon, the founder of the Unification Church, mentions how Marie Zivna

“lost her life whi le in prison at the young age of twenty-four. She was the first martyr who died whi le conducting missionary work i n a communist country.” (pl64)

Father Moon describes h is reaction As a Peace-loving when he heard the news of her death, Global Citizen “I cou ld not speak. I fel l into a sorrow that seemed to have no end, as if I had been thrown into deep water.” (pl 64)

One of the first members of the Unification Church in Czechoslovakia was Mi los Klas. He joi ned in 1970 and was also arrested, i nterrogated and Front cover of Father Moon’s imprisoned. He reca lls, autobiography “I used to witness [evangelize] ma inly to those students and young people who attended some church. I d idn’t w itness to my colleagues even thoug h some of them knew about my ‘forbidden’ activities. My own particular lifestyle and the way in which I treated people left a positive impact on them. So, in difficu lt c ircumstances my colleagues would always help me, even if it meant a risk for them.

One day in October of 1973, the secret police visited my workplace. They wanted to arrest me but because I wasn’t present, they told my boss that he shou ld o rder me to be there on the fo llowing day at a certain time when they wou ld come agai n. My boss managed to warn me that the secret police were going t o come for me and suggested that I shou ld take al l precautions necessary.

It gave me just enough time to hide our literature in a heap of coal in my land lady’s cel lar and to deeply bury the rest in the forest, with the help of a young member. My boss was excellent. He even cared for me some years later when I was released from prison. He re -employed Milos Klas in the early me even though the seventies. Photo: FFWPU management protested strong ly. […]Altogether I spent twelve months in prison. The authorities released me four months early because, w ithout my knowledge, my mother had written a petition for clemency to President Husak, who had granted it.” (Mission Butterfly - Pioneers Behind the Iron Curtain, 2006, p30-3l)

Part 1 of a series commemorating Marie Zivn6. See part 2

Featured image above: A photo of Marie Zivn6 (7949-7974), the first martyr in the communist world, displayed by Maria Uhn6kov6, who was also imprisoned, at the commemorative meeting in Svojanov on 13th April 2024. Photo: FFWPU

“First Martyr in Communist World Commemorated” - text by Knut Holdhus, collected from reports from Czech Republic and Slovakia. Posted 17th April 2024 at 5:06 pm. Updated 18th April at 9:34 am.

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Also related to first martyr: Years in Hell of Concentration Camp

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Yet more related to first martyr: The Unification Church

Still more related to first martyr: Encounter with Jesus

Even more related to first martyr: The Unification Principles

And yet more related to first martyr: 50 Years since Communist Crackdown

And still more related to first martyr: Holy Marriage in 1960

And even more related to first martyr: The Founding

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