Klaus will not veto bill to bar publication of police wiretaps by media

The Czech president, Václav Klaus, says he will not veto a bill that would bar the media from publishing or broadcasting police wiretaps. In a letter to the chairman of the Czech Syndicate of Journalists, Miroslav Jelínek, the president said he did not see any way in which a new law on the subject contravened the Czech constitution. A number of Czech and international journalists’ groups have called on Mr Klaus not to sign the bill, which they say would be an infringement on the freedom of the press. Speaking in response to the president’s letter, Mr Jelínek said the matter should now go before the Constitutional Court.

Last week MPs from most parties in the Chamber of Deputies voted to overturn a Senate veto on the law. If it comes into effect, journalists who publish wiretaps could face up to five years in jail.

Author: Ian Willoughby