Prague to put Catholics on trial, Jesuits charge

February 7, 1980

The Jesuits said Wednesday that Czechoslovakia was preparing a trial of Roman Catholic priests and lay people and charged that some had been subjected to brutal psychological pressure under interrogation. A statement by the Society of Jesus headquarters in Rome said the investigation began in November [Word Illegible] with searches of five apartments, followed by interrogations of 130 people.

The Jesuits charged that the Czechoslovak Communist authorities "use all means possible to block, repress, and reduce ever more the fundamental liberties of Catholics in the country."