Former Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg Dies at 85

Schwarzenberg, a key figure in Czech Republic's transition from Communist rule, was known for his contributions to foreign policy and human rights.

• Karel Schwarzenberg, a former Czech foreign minister and a member of a European noble family, has died at the age of 85. His death was confirmed by his long-term political ally, Milroslav Kalousek, and the Foreign Ministry.
• Schwarzenberg was a key figure in the Czech Republic's transition from Communist rule, serving as a two-time foreign minister and Vaclav Havel’s chancellor. He was known for shaping the country's foreign policy and demonstrating his commitment to democracy through his actions.
• Born into a prestigious Czech family, Schwarzenberg spent a large part of his life in exile in Austria after the Communists took over Czechoslovakia in 1948. He returned home after the 1989 Velvet Revolution and became Havel’s chancellor when Havel was elected president.
• Schwarzenberg served as foreign minister from 2007-2009 and again from 2010-2013. During his first term, he and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice signed an initial agreement to base a U.S. missile shield in Central and Eastern Europe, a system later scrapped by President Barack Obama.
• Before his political career, Schwarzenberg served as chairman of the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights from 1984 to 1991, seeking compliance with human rights in communist countries, including his homeland. He also helped establish the Czechoslovak Documentation Center, an institution that collected banned literature and other materials related to anti-totalitarian resistance and independent thinking during the communist regime.

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