Vaclav Havel, Czech statesman and playwright, dies at 75

Vaclav Havel came to international prominence in the 1970s

Vaclav Havel, the dissident playwright who became the Czech Republic's first post-communist president, has died at the age of 75.

The former leader, who suffered from prolonged ill-health, died on Sunday morning, his secretary Sabina Dancecova said.
As president, he presided over Czechoslovakia's transition to democracy and a free-market economy.
He oversaw its peaceful 1993 split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Havel first came to international fame as a dissident playwright in the 1970s through his involvement with the human rights manifesto Charter 77.

By the Latest New Staff