Czech president signs law criminalizing communist propaganda

Czech President Petr Pavel has signed a criminal code amendment that criminalizes the spread of communist ideology, equating it with Nazi propaganda.

The revised law imposes a prison sentence of up to five years for anyone who “founds, supports, or promotes Nazi, communist, or other movements that demonstrably aim to suppress human rights and freedoms or incite racial, ethnic, national, religious, or class hatred.”

The amendment follows a call from Czech historical institutions, including the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes, to address a “legal imbalance.”

The Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSČM), led by Member of the European Parliament Kateřina Konečná, is currently part of a new electoral alliance called “Stačilo” (“Enough”) and has condemned the decision as politically motivated.

“This is another failed attempt to outlaw the KSČM and intimidate critics of the current regime,” Konečná stated.

It remains unclear how the new law will be applied to parties like the KSČM. The party currently holds no seats in parliament, but recent polls show its alliance at 5% support, which is enough to return to the lower house in the October elections.