Artur London
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 to became a leading figure in the
Communist Party of Czechoslovakia becoming 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.
*
Interview (in French) about his life with
Lise London (Lise Ricol), his wife
