The Woodrow Wilson Center on 17 September hosted an event in their headquarters in Washington DC on the topic “For your freedom and ours – Remembering the Red Square Protest of August 1968”. The so-called Prague Spring of 1968 is widely known as a major turning point in Soviet relations with Eastern Europe even though the largely peaceful insurrection was largely unsuccessful. After the protests, Czechoslovakia remained occupied by Soviet troops until 1991.

As noted in the video description, “In August 1968, a group of eight individuals walked out on to the Red Square in Moscow to protest the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia. Their act of moral courage became a guiding light for Soviet dissidents and post-Soviet protest leaders.” Speakers at the event included:

• Pavel Litvinov, Human Rights Activist; Soviet-era Dissident and Red Square Protester
• Zhanna Nemtsova, Founder, Boris Nemtsov Foundation for Freedom; Journalist, Deutsche Welle
• Professor Benjamin Nathans, Associate Professor of History, University of Pennsylvania

The event lasted about an hour and half. Take a look: