Czechs mark 1969 self-immolation

By Alix Kroeger BBC Prague correspondent

Jan Palach survived for three days before dying of his injuries

A wreath-laying ceremony is due to take place in Prague later on Friday to mark the 35th anniversary of the self-immolation of a Czech student.

Jan Palach set himself on fire in January 1969 to protest at the Soviet invasion of his country in 1968.

Last year, some 20 people in the Czech Republic tried to burn themselves to death, but few of them appear to have acted for political reasons.

The phenomenon has no parallel elsewhere in Europe.

Palach's plea

There had been only a handful of cases of self-immolation in 20 years in the country until the trend took hold 10 months ago.

In the first case a 19-year-old student set himself alight in Prague's Wenceslas Square.

A 19-year-old set fire to himself in central Prague on 6 March

He left a note saying he was protesting against the evils of the modern world and describing himself as a Palach for the 21st Century.

Jan Palach survived for three days before dying of his injuries. During that time he told his friends not to follow his example.

Recently, psychologists and politicians have repeated his plea.

Czech President Vaclav Klaus wrote an open letter saying that although life is often difficult, suicide by self-immolation was unhappy, inappropriate and unnecessary.

Nonetheless, two more Czechs set themselves on fire over the Christmas period.

Most of those who have set themselves alight in the last year have died, though others survived despite extensive burns.

The majority were suffering from some form of mental illness.