In 1976 in Czechoslovakia, members of the band Plastic People of the Universe (PPU) were arrested and put on trial by the Communist government. They were accused and convicted of “organized disturbance of the peace” and sentenced to terms in prison ranging from 8 to 18 months. Although the band was not associated with politics, the Communist regime’s accusations against them resulted in many protests. Motivated in part by these arrests of members of the PPU, dissident writer Václav Havel, with others, wrote the document “Charta 77,” a petition that demanded that the Communist government of Czechoslovakia recognize certain basic human rights. The Trial of the Plastic People of the Universe became a milestone for the opposition against the Communist regime and ultimately led to the fall of communism in Czechoslovakia in 1989.
