{"id":12674,"date":"2025-10-24T12:24:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-24T10:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/praha\/?page_id=12674"},"modified":"2025-11-05T11:04:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-05T10:04:10","slug":"daily-courage-polish-czech-and-slovak-women-in-anti-communist-dissent-1968-1989-15-informatorky","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/instytutpolski.pl\/praha\/daily-courage-polish-czech-and-slovak-women-in-anti-communist-dissent-1968-1989-15-informatorky\/","title":{"rendered":"Daily Courage. Polish, Czech and Slovak Women in Anti-Communist Dissent 1968-1989 \/ 15 – INFORMERS"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

INFORMERS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the days before the internet, when not everyone had a landline at home, or when their lines were intentionally disconnected, passing on uncensored, truthful information was a major challenge. In addition to the independent samizdat press, in which women were heavily involved in editing, transcribing, printing, and distribution, it was also important to pass on information to foreign journalists. Women used their knowledge of foreign languages and interpreting skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

M\u00e1ria Kom\u00e1rov\u00e1: „Our phone was constantly tapped, police cars were parked in front of our house, and we were taken in for interrogation.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anna \u0160abatov\u00e1: „People also often brought us information. For example, about criminal proceedings, I had to accept it, write it down, and provide it to those who were working on VONS communications. In later years, I had photos of imprisoned people, so when journalists came, it was like a factory. I gave them names, I remembered exactly who got how much and for what. I also went to the post office to make international phone calls, even though I was afraid!”<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Information on the political trials in Czechoslovakia were passed on to the foreign journalists by signatories of Charter 77, including interpreter Zdena Tominov\u00e1, who had an excellent command of English, German, and French, and journalist M\u00e1ria Kom\u00e1rov\u00e1 (second from right in the photo), who also established contact with the American ambassador.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source: Private archive of Vladim\u00edr Kom\u00e1r<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

 In Poland, at the time of Solidarity’s founding in August 1980, Joanna Wojciechowicz, Ewa Milewicz, and Maryla P\u0142o\u0144ska assisted Western journalists. In the photo, Bo\u017cena Rybicka (first from left), Lech Wa\u0142\u0119sa’s secretary, is seen on the phone at Solidarity headquarters in Gda\u0144sk in 1981. Photo by: Leszek Biernacki<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Anna \u0160abatov\u00e1 contributed to Infoch (short for Information on Charter 77), which was an important source of uncensored news. She was also involved in the Eastern European Information Agency. Pictured here in the 1970s. Source: Archive of Libri prohibiti, photo by Ji\u0159\u00ed Bedn\u00e1\u0159<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Journalist Agne\u0161a Kalinov\u00e1 worked as a political commentator for Radio Free Europe. After spending three months in custody and being banned from publishing, she went into exile in Germany with her family. Pictured here with her husband and daughter in the fall of 1978. Source: Private archive of the Kalina family        <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Joanna Wojciechowicz was head of Solidarity’s information department and co-founded the Solidarity radio agency and the Gda\u0144sk Information Agency. An English interpreter, her apartment served as a contact point for Western journalists. Pictured in 1981, Photo by: Leszek Biernacki<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Janina Jankowska PHOTO<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the photo, Janina Jankowska records during John Paul II’s visit to Poland in 1983.\u00a0 Source: Private archive of J. Jankovwska<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

INFORMERS In the days before the internet, when not everyone had a landline at home, or when their lines were intentionally disconnected, passing on uncensored, truthful information was a major challenge. In addition to the independent samizdat press, in which women were heavily involved in editing, transcribing, printing, and distribution, it was also important to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":12702,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-12674","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nDaily Courage. 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