Chekhia bans communist propaganda, prison sentences of up to 5 years

Czech President Petr Pavel signed a change to the country's penal code Thursday that criminalises promoting communist ideology, putting it on the same level as Nazi propaganda.

The revised legislation presents prison sentences of up to five years for anyone who <x0-creases, supports or promotes Nazi, communist, or other movements aimed demonly at suppressing human rights and freedoms or inciting racial, ethnic, national, religious or class-based hatred”.

The change comes after calls from Czech historical institutions, including the Institute for the Study of Total Regime, to correct what they considered to be a legal imbalance.

The Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSČM), led by the eurodeputja Cateya Konečná and now part of a new election alliance called “Staziilo” (“

“This is another failed attempt to get KSEM out of the law and intimidate critics of the current regime”, the party said.

It remains unclear how the new party law, such as KSF, will be implemented. The party currently does not have seats in parliament, but recent polls put its alliance at 5% sufficient to return to the lower room in the October elections. /Periscope/