Jan Palach

For his directing debut Ian Palach Raymond Depardon photographer and cofounder of photo agencies Gamma and Magnum travelled to Prague in 1968 There on 25 January the Czechoslovak student Jan Palach was to be buried A few days before this young man had doused himself with gasoline and set himself on fire in protest of the Russian occupation of Czechoslovakia and the purging of the members of the Prague Spring movement Palachs political selfsacrifice does not remain without consequence for long Although the government did its utmost to discourage the Czechoslovaks 800000 mourners gathered to form a long impressive cortege as forceful evidence that Palach was not alone in his protest