OSCE Chairperson saddened by passing of Vaclav Havel, pays tribute to his vision of free Europe

VILNIUS, 18 December 2011 – OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Ažubalis expressed his sadness today at the death of former Czech President Vaclav Havel and paid tribute to his courage and vision for a free Europe.

“Vaclav Havel’s words of freedom resonated throughout Europe and helped us build a free continent,” said Ažubalis.

“The Velvet Revolution he led was more than inspiring to us. It paved the way for a Europe whole and free,” he added.

In the 1970s, Havel became one of the authors of Charter 77, a policy document opposing communist rule. In the autumn of 1989, he led the Civic Forum coordinating the "Velvet Revolution" in the former Czechoslovakia. He became the first president of the Czech Republic in 1993.