Masaryk University was saddened to learn of the passing of Brigadier General RNDr. Petr Zeman, a graduate of MU’s Faculty of Science, a former leader of the Czech dissident movement, a security expert, and an educator.
Petr Zeman (May 3, 1947 – May 23, 2026) studied General Biology at what was then the Faculty of Science of Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Brno (now Masaryk University), and completed his rigorous examination in Systematic Biology and Ecology, earning the title of RNDr. in 1990. During the Normalization period, he was a leading figure in the Brno dissident movement and, as a signatory of Charter 77, participated in the distribution of samizdat and banned literature.
After 1989, he played a significant role in building the democratic security structures of the new state. He served in the Security Information Service and, from 1998 to 2001, headed the Office for Foreign Relations and Information. Later, he devoted himself to academic and expert work at the University of Defense and within the broader security community. He was also the lead author of the scholarly publication Czech Security Terminology.
He remained connected to Masaryk University through teaching as well. At the Faculty of Social Studies, he led lectures in 2010 and 2011 focused on the activities of intelligence services in a democratic system, specifically Introduction to the Activities of Intelligence Services and Intelligence Services in Democracy.
For his work, he received the Medal of Merit for the Security of the Czech Republic, Second Class, and the Jaroslav Janda Award. In 2024, President Petr Pavel promoted him to the rank of retired brigadier general.
The final farewell to Petr Zeman will take place on Thursday, June 4, at 11 a.m. at the Brno Crematorium.
This year, Karola Dillenburger received the Masaryk University internal grant, the MUNI Award in Science and Humanities. MU awarded seven additional grants to promising researchers from our faculty.
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