Czech Republic enacts law criminalizing promotion of communism and fascism, with potential prison sentences.
Czech President Petr Pavel has signed an amendment to the Criminal Code, set to take effect on January 1st, which explicitly defines the establishment, support, or promotion of nazi, Communist, or other movements demonstrably aimed at suppressing human rights and freedoms as a criminal offense. Violators face up to five years in prison.
This legislative change could possibly impact members of the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSฤM), including its chairwoman Kateลina Koneฤnรก, depending on how courts interpret the new provisions. The KSฤM is the successor to the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSฤ), which governed from 1948 to 1989 and was responsible for political persecution, imprisonment of dissidents, and executions following politically motivated trials, such as the case of Milada Horรกkovรก.
The Russian agency TASS reported that the Russian Foreign ministry criticized the move, suggesting it aims to discredit Russia by drawing parallels between its current state and fascist ideology. The ministry’s statement, as reported by TASS, implies that such actions are intended to “question, reject and then accuse our country.”
Experts estimate that communist ideologies have been responsible for the deaths of 85 to 150 million people globally, while fascist ideologies are linked to 20 to 40 million deaths.
