Jozef Lenart, 80; Czech Prime Minister Cleared of Treason
Jozef Lenart, 80, a former Czechoslovak prime minister who was cleared of treason charges brought over his alleged role in the 1968 Soviet-led invasion that crushed the country’s democratic movement, died Wednesday in a Prague hospital after heart surgery.
Lenart served as prime minister of Czechoslovakia from 1963 to 1968 and headed the Slovak Communist Party until 1988. He was a Slovak national who acquired Czech citizenship after Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993.
For the record:
12:00 a.m. Feb. 18, 2004 For The Record
Los Angeles Times Wednesday February 18, 2004 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 41 words Type of Material: Correction
Jozef Lenart obituary -- An obituary brief in Friday’s California section on Jozef Lenart, the former prime minister of Czechoslovakia, stated that Alexander Dubcek held the post of prime minister. In fact, Dubcek was first secretary of the then-country’s Communist Party.
After the 1989 collapse of the communist regime in Prague, Lenart was charged with treason for allegedly having tried to establish a legal basis for the 1968 invasion that squelched the liberalization effort under Prime Minister Alexander Dubcek.
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