Czechoslovakia Act of Artistic Unfreedom

Vaclav Havel has been fighting for freedom in Czechoslovakia since the day Warsaw Pact forces crushed the reform movement that flowered in the spring of 1968. So it was hardly surprising that he was arrested on Jan. 16, along with eight other activists, while trying to lay flowers in Prague's Wenceslas Square. That was where student Jan Palach set himself ablaze two decades earlier to protest the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia.

Havel, 52, is not only a playwright and essayist but also a popular Czech hero who has firsthand knowledge of the Prague regime's harsh treatment of dissidents. In the past two decades he has spent a total of 4 1/2 years behind bars for his activities as a founding member of the Charter 77 human rights organization.

Havel holds numerous awards and honors for his plays, which include The Garden Party and Largo Desolato; essays The Power of the Powerless; and Letters to Olga, a collection of missives that he wrote to his wife while in prison. Havel's work reflects the struggle of citizens in a totalitarian state. Although he is both produced and published abroad, his work has been banned in Czechoslovakia since 1969 and must circulate underground.

In 1979 Havel was offered the chance to emigrate to the U.S. to avoid a conviction for subversive activities. He refused, saying, "The solution of this human situation does not lie in leaving it. Fourteen million people can't just go and leave Czechoslovakia empty." That decision won Havel the respect and admiration of many Czechs. Says Charter 77 activist Martin Palou: "Havel is a symbol of hope for the future, a man who can articulate many people's feelings."

Last week Havel told his judges of his appearance in Wenceslas Square: "I was there for one hour. Something happened that I had never even dreamed of. After the totally unnecessary intervention by the police, the onlookers ^ changed into real protesters." He was sentenced to nine months for inciting a public protest and obstructing a public official who had ordered him to leave the square.