Jazz Section leaders jailed

Press, 13 March 1987, Page 6

Jazz Section leaders jailed

By

DAVID STOREY

through NZPA Prague Jailing of the leaders of the independent cultural group. Jazz Section, yesterday was seen by diplomats and opposition figures as a compromise by a communist leadership uncertain as to its future political direction. The sentencing of the Jazz Section leader, Karel Srp. to 16 months in prison and the group’s secretary, Vladimir Kouril, to 10 months for economic crimes was seen as lenient compared with some recent cases.

But it was judged in the context of a visit early next month by the Soviet Leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, who has already given the signal for a more liberal control of the arts in his own country.

There have been increasing signs of differences between members of the conservative Communist Party Politburo on how far to follow the

Soviet economic and social reforms.

Many of these are reminiscent of the 1968 reforms in Poland that prompted the Warsaw Pact invasion and the installation of the present ruling elite to stifle such radical change.

The three defendants given suspended sentences at the District Court hearing yesterday said they would continue to campaign to have the Jazz Section legally accepted. All five members were found guilty of illegal commercial activity for continuing to publish and sell books and magazines after the Section, part of the Musicians’ Union, was formally closed by the Interior Ministry in October, 1984. It had angered the authorities by challenging their strict control of artistic works, providing books not officially sanctioned, records and films for their membership, which numbered over 5000.