Jan Zajíc

Jan Zajíc (died 25 February 1969) was a Czech student who killed himself by self-immolation as a political protest.

In 1969 he took part in a hunger strike and a commemoration ceremony by students for Jan Palach near the statue of Saint Wenceslas in Prague.

On the day of the twenty-first anniversary of the Communist takeover (25 February 1948),[2] he travelled to Prague accompanied by three other students.

His intention was to warn the public against the forthcoming political "normalization" of the country.

He had several letters challenging the people to fight against the Warsaw Pact's military occupation of Czechoslovakia.

After the Velvet Revolution, a bronze cross was set into the ground in front of the National Museum in Wenceslas Square to honour both Palach and Zajíc.

Portrait on a memorial plaque
The memorial to Jan Palach and Jan Zajíc in front of the National Museum
The memorial to Jan Palach and Jan Zajíc in front of the National Museum during 25th anniversary of Velvet Revolution