Czech actresses faced persecution by communist-era secret police

Historical accounts have detailed the political persecution faced by prominent Czech actresses Jiřina Bohdalová and Jiřina Štěpničková under the communist regime and the State Security (StB).

Jiřina Bohdalová faced pressure from the StB due to her father’s imprisonment. In 1954, her father was sentenced to 15 years for anti-state activities after assisting with the escape of exiled Finance Minister Ladislav Feierbend. During her early career, security services attempted to recruit Bohdalová by offering to help her father, requesting instead that she provide information on colleagues such as Jan Werich and Stella Zázvorková. Bohdalová refused to cooperate.

Jiřina Štěpničková was the victim of an StB provocation in 1951. After attempting to flee to the West with her young son, she was arrested via a trap involving a collaborator linked to the secret police. In 1952, she was sentenced to 15 years in prison, facing the possibility of the death penalty. While some colleagues sought clemency for her, others within her professional circle reportedly requested the maximum possible sentence.