Artur London

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Artur London, (February 1, 1915–November 8, 1986), was a Czechoslovak communist politician and co-defendant in the Prague Trials. He was born in Ostrava, Moravia, Austria-Hungary.

In 1937, London went to fight in the Spanish Civil War as member of the International Brigade. He moved to France after the defeat of the Republicans and, during World War II, was arrested by the Nazis and sent to a concentration camp.

After the war he lived in Switzerland but soon moved with family to Prague, where he became a leading figure in the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, and was eventually nominated deputy minister of foreign affairs in 1948. In 1951 he was arrested and became a co-defendant in the Prague Trials alongside Rudolf Slánský. London was accused of being a Zionist, Trotskyite and Titoist and was sentenced to life in prison.

He was released in 1955 and rehabilitated in 1963. He moved to France where together with his wife they wrote L'Aveu (the Confession) about his ordeal in the Prague Trials. While the main defendants were senior to London, he became more famous worldwide as a result of the book. The book was made into a film directed by Costa-Gavras and starring Yves Montand and Simone Signoret.

He died in Paris, France.