Jaroslav Hutka

Jaroslav Hutka (born 21 April 1947 in Olomouc) is a Czech musician, composer, songwriter, and democracy and human rights activist. He was a signatory of Charter 77 and the 2008 Prague Declaration on European Conscience and Communism.
Hutka left Czechoslovakia in October 1978 due to persecution from the Communist authorities, and lived in exile in the Netherlands. After the fall of communism in Czechoslovakia on 26 November 1989, he returned to his native country. His works include "Citizen Havel" (2008), "Schritte im Labyrinth" (1990) and "Bratřícek Karel" (2016).
Early life.
Hutka was born on 21 April 1947 in Olomouc, Czechoslovakia. His family was forced into exile in 1952 due to their opposition to the communist regime, but were eventually ordered to return.
Music career.
In 1962, he began to study painting in Prague. He dropped out of school in 1966, and began performing music. Hutka and his friend Petr Kalandra were among the first to perform on Charles Bridge. Hutka co-founded the music group Saffrán, which was together until 1977. The StB pressured Hutka and his wife Daniela to emigrate to the Netherlands.
After the Velvet Revolution, Hutka returned to Czechoslovakia. Hutka is still performing as a musician. He was interviewed by oral history organisation Post Bellum for their "Stories of Our Neighbors" project.