Photos of 1968 Soviet invasion shown in US

Washington/New York, Nov 19 (CTK) - An exhibition of documentary pictures by famous Czech photographer Josef Koudelka showing the Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia in August 1968 was opened on Tuesday in Washington's Katzen Arts Center.

Koudelka's works are shown in Washington for the first time.

Koudelka left his homeland to live abroad in 1970. He has been a member of the prestigious agency Magnum Photos since 1974. He published several books of his photographs, among others Exiles and Chaos. He has both Czech and French citizenship.

Czech Deputy Prime Minister Alexandr Vondra said at the inauguration he considered the Soviet-led invasion one of the most painful moments of Czech history, a violation of the country's sovereignty and freedom.

Vondra drew a parallel between Czechoslovakia's 1968 occupation and the Russian military intervention in Georgia.

Koudelka took the photographs during the week following August 21, 1968, when 750,000 Soviet-led troops with 6,300 tanks entered the country.

The Warsaw Pact's invasion crushed the Prague Spring communist reform movement and helped re-establish the rule of communist hardliners in the country.

Koudelka's photographs were smuggled out of the country after the invasion and they have become one of the symbols of the tumultuous year 1968.

Thanks to the Magnum Photos agency, Koudelka's photo coverage was published in many magazines all over the world on the first anniversary of the invasion.

The exhibition of 80 photos will last till December 28.