Brno court halts prosecution of soldiers following president’s decision

A regional court in Brno has officially stopped the criminal prosecution of four Czech soldiers accused in connection with the death of an Afghan detainee. The court acted in response to a decision by President Petr Pavel, who issued an abolition order. “The prosecution has become inadmissible,” Judge Dušan Beránek told reporters. The court did not examine classified materials, nor did it request NATO’s consent, which Beránek said was unnecessary under the circumstances. The soldiers still have the option to reject the presidential abolition and ask for the case to proceed without risk of punishment. They have three days to respond.