Imprisoned Czech Playwright Havel Is Ailing, Wife Reports

The wife of Czechoslovakia’s leading dissident said in an interview broadcast Saturday that her husband has fallen ill and may not be receiving adequate medical attention in prison.

The dissident, playwright Vaclav Havel, was sentenced Tuesday to nine months in prison after being convicted of inciting citizens to take part in a banned demonstration and obstructing police officers.

“He is suffering from a series of health problems, and I deeply fear for his health,” Olga Havel told Austrian Radio. She did not describe the ailments of her 52-year-old husband.

In a courtroom speech, Havel defiantly declared that he was not guilty of inciting people to attend a Jan. 15 commemoration for Jan Palach, a student who burned himself to death 20 years ago to protest the 1968 Soviet-led invasion that ended reforms of Communist Party chief Alexander Dubcek.