Jiří Pelikán

Jiří Pelikán was a Czech journalist and politician. Born in Olomouc, he was a member of the National Assembly in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic and later a member of the European Parliament for the Italian Socialist Party (PSI). In 1939, Pelikán joined the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSČ) in exile and took part in the Czech resistance to Nazi Germany occupation during World War II. From 1953 to 1963, he assumed leading functions in the KSČ-led International Union of Students. Until 1968, he was the director of the Czechoslovak Television and a member of the parliament from 1964 to 1969.