Jan Masaryk exhumed as Czech
Photo: Pressens bild/Scanpix Sweden/TT

Jan Masaryk exhumed as Czech police reopen 1948 mystery death case

Did Foreign Minister Jan Masaryk take his own life? Or was he murdered? The mysterious death has eluded investigators in the Czech Republic since 1948. Now his remains are being exhumed in search of answers.

Advertisement

One March morning in 1948, shortly after Moscow-backed communists seized power in Czechoslovakia, Jan Masaryk was found dead in the courtyard of the Foreign Ministry. He was still wearing his pyjamas.

The official explanation was that the foreign minister committed suicide by jumping from a window, but this has been questioned. Last year, Czech police unexpectedly announced that the investigation would be reopened, and on Wednesday the grave west of Prague was opened. The aim is to clarify the circumstances surrounding the death, the police wrote on X.

Over the years, historians have blamed both Czechoslovak communists and the Soviet secret police for Masaryk's death.

In this story
AuthorTT News AgencyEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for our readers
Was this useful?

What do you think?

Keep readingmore from World

All