Alexandr (Sasha) Vondra

Alexandr (Sasha) Vondra, Czech Republic

"During the mid-1980s, Sasha Vondra was active in Czechoslovakia's democratic opposition, printing and distributing government-suppressed literature in samizdat and working with opposition groups in neighboring countries. He was one of the original signatories of Charter 77, demanding human rights in the former communist country, and later became spokesperson for the Charter campaign in 1989. Following a 2-month prison sentence for opposition activities, Mr. Vondra became co-founder and leading member of the Civic Forum movement during the Velvet Revolution in November of that year. From 2001 to 2003, he managed the preparation of the 2002 NATO Summit in Prague as the Czech Government's Commissioner to the Summit. Previously, Mr. Vondra headed the Czech Mission to the United States from 1997 to 2001, during which time he oversaw the Czech Republic's integration into NATO. Prior to his post in Washington, he served as the First Deputy Foreign Minister and Foreign Policy Advisor to President Vaclav Havel. He is President of the Czech Euro-Atlantic Council and serves on the board of the Program of Atlantic Security Studies (PASS) and the Vaclav Havel Library. Mr. Vondra has been awarded the Cross of Merit by the Czech Minister of Defense and the Democracy Service Medal by the National Endowment for Democracy."

Affiliations

• White House "Champion of Freedom" (2005)
• Recipient of the 1999 NED Democracy Service Medal
• Transatlantic Steering Group, Project on Democratic Transitions

Vondra has also addressed European meetings of the Trilateral Commission, in 2002 and 2008.