The first hearing in the case of two artists who painted in red the bust of former communist leader Vasil Bilak took place on Wednesday at Svidnik District Court (Prešov region). It concluded with a call for another meeting on March 14. The now deceased Bilak was one of the communist leaders who invited the Soviet Army and its allies to invade Czechoslovakia in 1968 to crush the attempts to reform the regime. Last February a bust was unveiled in his native village. A day later the two artists who appeared in court on Wednesday sprayed red paint on it in protest. It later disappeared completely. A group of locals sued the two artists.
Anca Dragu, Photo: TASR
