Lower house strips Communist MP of immunity

The lower house has voted to strip opposition MP Josef Vondruska of immunity so he can face criminal charges. The MP is suspected of having mistreated prisoners as a prison guard in communist Czechoslovakia. 151 of 154 deputies present voted in favour. The Communist Party MP has dismissed accusations but said he did not wish to avoid prosecution. Fellow CommunistParty deputies left the chamber ahead of the vote. Citing a file on Mr Vondruska, mandate and immunity committee head Miloslav Kala said that Mr Vondruska had tortured a dissident in the 1980s; the former prison-guard allegedly punched the prisoner in the face and beat him repeatedly with a truncheon.