NATO consent for halting soldiers’ prosecution is up to the court, says President Pavel

President Petr Pavel stated that if a court determines NATO’s consent is needed to halt the prosecution of four Czech soldiers over the death of an Afghan detainee, it will be up to the court to request it. Pavel had signed off on an abolition of the prosecution last week, citing the exceptional wartime context and the non-violent nature of the alleged crimes. However, legal complications have emerged. According to news site Seznam Zprávy, the case cannot be dropped until NATO allows court lay judges without security clearance to access classified material. Pavel emphasized that any further legal steps are no longer in his hands.