Former Czech president Václav Havel died on Sunday ( December 18 ) after a long battle with respiratory and heart problems. Havel, 75, was a writer and a poet who openly criticized the Communist regime in what was then Czechoslovakia. Numerous world leaders have sent condolences, including US President Barack Obama, who praised his peaceful resistance to the old regime and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who hailed him as a "Great European."

His political dissidence landed him in prison but after the Velvet Revolution in 1989 he became president. He was in power during the separation of Czechoslovakia, a move he opposed, and he became the first president of the new Czech Republic, staying in power until 2003. Havel received numerous honors, including the US Presidential Medal of Freedom and was the chairman of the New York based Human Rights Foundation at the time of his death.

Liam Lever, liam@romania-insider.com 

(photo source: Wikipedia)