For staunch opponents of communism within the Czech Republic, it is the glad finish to a really lengthy story. After the nation’s so-called Velvet Revolution, which began in 1989 and led to finish of the communist regime there, opponents of the ideology demanded that communists be handled the identical as German Nazis had been. Greater than 30 years later, their calls for have lastly been met.
In late July, Czech President Petr Pavel signed an modification to his nation’s prison code that criminalizes the promotion of communist ideology, inserting it on the identical footing as Nazi propaganda. The modification will enter into pressure on January 1, 2026.
The motion to amend the regulation was first initiated by Martin Mejstrik, previously a pacesetter of the coed protests through the Velvet Revolution and later a Czech senator. Historians from the Czech Institute for the Research of Totalitarian Regimes, or the USTR, additionally joined the initiative and this spring, the modification handed by way of the Czech political system, supported by Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala’s pro-European coalition authorities. President Pavel’s signature in July finalized the method.
The modification of part 403 of the Czech prison code now allots a jail sentence of 1 to 5 years for anybody who “establishes, helps or promotes Nazi, communist, or different actions which demonstrably intention to suppress human rights and freedoms or incite racial, ethnic, nationwide, non secular or class-based hatred.”
‘Prison totalitarian ideologies’
“The intention of this draft was to eradicate an clearly unfair distinction between two prison totalitarian ideologies of the twentieth century,” Kamil Nedvedicky, a deputy director on the USTR, had defined earlier than the modification was handed.
Each of these ideologies suppressed elementary rights and freedoms, he mentioned. “It’s logical and simply that Czech prison regulation clearly displays this. It is not about ideology, it is about defending the democratic constitutional state,” he mentioned.
Considerably sarcastically, the Czech Republic can also be one of many few nations within the European Union that has a relatively profitable communist get together. The Communist Celebration of Bohemia and Moravia, or KSCM, was shaped in 1990 and till the final Czech parliamentary election 4 years in the past, had members of parliament and even supplied a number of Czech vice presidents.
The KSCM was the offspring of the Communist Celebration of Czechoslovakia, a dictatorial regime with a Marxist-Leninist ideology that dominated the nation till 1989. The KSCM has tens of hundreds of members and entered the European Parliament after the 2024 EU elections as a part of the left-wing Stacilo! (in English, “Sufficient!”) coalition. Polling signifies the Stacilo! electoral alliance will doubtless recover from the 5% hurdle within the Czech Republic’s October parliamentary elections too. Its lead candidate is KSCM chief and member of the European Parliament, Katerina Konecna.
Attainable ruling position for communists
And that might not be all. The present favourite in home elections is Andrej Babis, a former Czech prime minister, oligarch and the chief of the right-wing populist get together, ANO (in English, “YES”). Babis has not dominated out working with Stacilo! to kind a brand new coalition.
The brand new modification to Czech regulation might probably even result in a ban on the KSCM. That occurred to the Staff’ Celebration, a Czech far-right, extremist and neo-Nazi get together, in 2010.
KSCM chief Konecna informed DW that the modification is a political assault on her get together by the present authorities.
“It is concerning the systematic try by the delinquent, corrupt authorities of Petr Fiala to silence its loudest critics,” she argued. “That positively has no place in a democratic society.”
Konecna additionally mentioned it was “amusing” that the modification was signed into regulation by Pavel, who was beforehand a distinguished member of the unique Czech Communist Celebration.
Pavel, a former profession soldier, was a member of the Communist Celebration till 1989. “On reflection and with the information I’ve at present, it was a choice I’m positively not happy with,” the Czech president has beforehand mentioned.
“I believe the final 30 years that I’ve devoted to constructing a safer Czech Republic are a symbolic apology to society,” he additionally beforehand mentioned in an interview with Czech tabloid, Blesk. Pavel served as chief of employees of the Czech army between 2012 and 2015 and as chairman of the NATO army committee for greater than three years, from 2015.
Communists: ‘We cannot be intimidated’
KSCM chief Konecna argues that the Czech authorities needs to be addressing points strange residents should cope with, like excessive power costs and unaffordable housing. As an alternative, she claims, they’ve spent their time passing a regulation to silence political critics.
“However we cannot be intimidated,” she mentioned combatively. “Even when they threaten us 100 instances and imprison us.”
Russian politicians have additionally spoken out concerning the new Czech guidelines. “When the state and system of that point are in comparison with fascist ideology and the fascist regime, it’s fairly apparent that that is being performed to query, accuse, and condemn our nation,” Vyacheslav Volodin, the chairman of the Russian Federation’s parliament, the Duma, mentioned on July 25, in accordance with Russia’s state information company Tass.
This story was initially written in German.
