Michael Kocáb

Michael Kocáb (born 28 July 1954) is a Czech composer, singer, and political activist. He is the leader of Pražský výběr, a popular music band suppressed by the Czechoslovak communist regime in the 1980s. In the spring of 1989, Kocáb, with Michal Horacek, founded the "Bridge" initiative; after founding of Civic Forum (CF) on November 19, 1989, he organized together with Horacek all negotiations of CF with the communist Prime Minister and his cabinet. On behalf of CF, Kocáb was also responsible for negotiations with representatives of the Czechoslovak army. Using his significant political influence, he managed with several people to put through Václav Havel as the sole candidate of CF for the duty of the president – as Havel spoke of this in February 1990 in his speech to the US Congress in 1990. From 1990 to 1992 he was a member of the Federal Assembly of the CSSR and the CFSR. In his first speeches during joint meetings of the House of Commons and the Chamber of Nations of the Federal Assembly, Kocáb repeatedly demanded an end to the Soviet occupation and declared the Treaty on the temporary stay of Soviet troops in Czechoslovakia invalid. Kocáb led a parliament commission which negotiated the repatriation of Soviet soldiers from Czechoslovakia. From 2009 to 2010 he held the position of Minister for Human Rights and National Minorities in the Government of the Czech Republic. During this time he brokered a controversial deal with the Squat Milada residents to move.