Abstract
In a review of its work, Charter 77 answers criticism and modifies its role: it wishes to stand for man's humanism, and not just for human rights.
Eight years ago, in January 1977, the human rights group known as Charter 77 came into being in Czechoslovakia. The group marked the anniversary by announcing the usual annual rotation of its three spokesmen: Dr Václav Benda, Jiří Ruml and Jana Šternová ceded their positions to Jiří Dienstbier, Eva Kanturkova, and Petruška Šustrová. Both the outgoing and the new spokesmen signed a document reflecting on the eight years of Charter 77.
We regard this document as an important insight into the activities of human rights groups in all the European Communist countries (with the possible exception of Poland where those activities have much wider scope), and into the activities of people in an almost totally censored society.