On Thursday, July 17, Czech President Petr Pavel signed an amendment to the country's criminal code, which criminalizes the propaganda of communist ideology, putting it on par with Nazi propaganda. This was reported by Euractiv, writes UNN.
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The updated legislation provides for imprisonment for up to five years for anyone who "creates, supports or promotes Nazi, communist or other movements that clearly aim to suppress human rights and freedoms or incite racial, ethnic, national, religious or class hatred."
The changes were a response to calls from Czech historical institutions, in particular the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes, which considered the current legislation to be legally unbalanced.
The Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSČM), led by MEP Kateřina Konečná and now part of a new electoral alliance called "Stačilo" ("Enough"), condemned the decision as politically motivated.
"This is another failed attempt to push the KSČM outside the law and intimidate critics of the current regime," the party said in a statement.
As the publication writes, it is currently unclear how the new law will apply to parties such as the KSČM. Although the party currently has no representation in parliament, recent polls give its alliance 5% support — enough to return to the lower house in the October elections.