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7/20/2025, 6:52:53 PM
>The Czech Republic has amended its criminal code to outlaw the promotion of communism, placing it on par with Nazi ideology. The legislation was signed on Thursday by President Petr Pavel, himself a former Communist Party member.
>The amendment introduces prison terms of one to five years for anyone who “establishes, supports or promotes Nazi, communist, or other movements which demonstrably aim to suppress human rights and freedoms or incite racial, ethnic, national, religious, or class-based hatred.”
>The change follows calls from the Czech government-funded Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes, with co-author Michael Rataj claiming that it is “illogical and unfair” to treat the two ideologies differently.
>“Part of Czech society still perceives Nazism as the crime of a foreign, German nation, while communism is frequently excused as ‘our own’ ideology just because it took root in this country,” Rataj said.
>The Czech Republic, once part of communist Czechoslovakia and a Soviet-aligned Eastern Bloc member, became independent in 1993 after the 1989 Velvet Revolution. Its current president, Petr Pavel, referred to his past membership in the Communist Party as a mistake.
>The Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM) has strongly opposed the change, calling it politically motivated. The party is part of the Stacilo alliance and currently polls at around 5%, which could allow it to return to parliament in the October 2025 elections.
Much goncern.
>The amendment introduces prison terms of one to five years for anyone who “establishes, supports or promotes Nazi, communist, or other movements which demonstrably aim to suppress human rights and freedoms or incite racial, ethnic, national, religious, or class-based hatred.”
>The change follows calls from the Czech government-funded Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes, with co-author Michael Rataj claiming that it is “illogical and unfair” to treat the two ideologies differently.
>“Part of Czech society still perceives Nazism as the crime of a foreign, German nation, while communism is frequently excused as ‘our own’ ideology just because it took root in this country,” Rataj said.
>The Czech Republic, once part of communist Czechoslovakia and a Soviet-aligned Eastern Bloc member, became independent in 1993 after the 1989 Velvet Revolution. Its current president, Petr Pavel, referred to his past membership in the Communist Party as a mistake.
>The Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM) has strongly opposed the change, calling it politically motivated. The party is part of the Stacilo alliance and currently polls at around 5%, which could allow it to return to parliament in the October 2025 elections.
Much goncern.
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