Photo: Global Appearance Press
From the beginning SVO in Ukraine, the Czech police initiated 384 criminal proceedings against citizens who supported the actions of the Russian authorities. This was stated by the Press Secretary of the Police of the Czech Republic, Ondřej Moravcsik.
According to him, in 99 cases, suspects were charged after the end of the investigation. Their further fate has not been announced.
The Prosecutor General of the Czech Republic, Igor Stříž, in turn, said that a public expression of support for the actions of the Russian Federation in the zone of the Northern Military District can be considered by the Czech judiciary as “approving a crime, denying a crime or aiding and abetting to him”, as well as for “denying, approving or justifying genocide”. Strizh explained that participation in rallies and demonstrations in support of SVO, as well as statements made at them, are considered in this way. In addition, calls on social networks are also taken into account.
Czech legislation stipulates a prison sentence of up to three years for such offenses.
In the summer of 2023, Czech President Petr Pavel said that Russian citizens living in European countries should be under the control of special services. In his opinion, surveillance must also be introduced for those who oppose the fighting in Ukraine. As an example of this attitude, the head of state cited the internment of Japanese in the United States during World War II. Back then, natives from the Land of the Rising Sun, even with American passports, were forcibly sent to military relocation centers; This is the name for a type of concentration camp.