Abstract
This article concentrates on the case of Leopold Hilsner, a young Jew who was in 1899 accused and most probably unjustly sentenced to death for a ritual murder of a nineteen-year old woman Anežka Hrůzová, whose body was found a few days before Easter. The first part of the article sums up the historical facts about the Hilsner Case and emphasises the anti- Semitic atmosphere in the society at the end of 19th century.
This atmosphere intensively contributed to a conviction of Leopold Hilsner for an alleged ritual murder. The authors discuss several characteristics of the proceeding which had in their view an impact on the progress and the final judgment of the trial.
They describe the relationship between a client and an attorney and stress the role of Hilsner defence lawyer, dr. Auředníček.
Furthermore, they debate particularities of a jury trial, which was brought in the Hilsner Case, and describe personal engagement of Tomáš Garrique Masaryk, professor of Charles University in Prague and later president of Czechoslovakia, in the case. In conclusion, the authors stress that the Hilsner Case and its message are too important to be forgotten.