News

Police President Petr Lessy is vacating his post as of March 1. He tendered his resignation in February in order to help restore stability in the force following a period when, due to a legal hurdle, it had two police chiefs. Petr Lessy, who was dismissed after being accused of abuse of office and defamation, cleared his name in court and was reinstated last December, but his successor Martin Červíček challenged the move in court. Neither will compete for the post again and a tender will be launched to select a new police chief.

Continuing discrimination and violence against Roma, domestic violence, failure to deal with cases of human trafficking and corruption are highlighted as black marks against the Czech Republic in the US state department’s annual survey of human rights in the world. Societal discrimination and violence against Roma was a problem last year with human rights organisations attacking the government’s failure to deal with it, the report said. Exploitation of illegal and migrant workers and discrimination against labour unions were also highlighted in the report. Attempts to stamp out abuses in the police and other forces were taken but areas of immunity persisted, it added.

Two Czech army transport planes will take 27 severely wounded Ukrainian demonstrators to Prague for treatment on Thursday. The youngest of the injured to be airlifted from Kiev to one of two Prague hospitals is around 17 years old. He was shot in the legs and could face amputation. Arrangements for the transport have been made in the Ukrainian capital by a six person team from the Czech charity People in Need. They have drawn up a list of another 70 people who could be brought to the Czech Republic if funds are forthcoming. The Czech government decided to release 10 million crowns for the humanitarian airlift on Wednesday.

ČEZ boss Daniel Beneš did not appear at the power company’s press conference on Thursday due to illness. Company officials refused to answer media questions about his reported purchase of expensive jewellery for Jana Nagyová, the former head of ex prime minister Petr Nečas’ private office. They said it was a personal matter. The daily Mladá Fronta Dnes reported Wednesday that Beneš bought Christmas and birthday gifts for Nagyová, now Nečas’ wife. The ČEZ boss said that the sums involved were from his own funds and had been exaggerated by the media. The former Civic Democrat leader fell from power last year after it was revealed that Nagyová had used to state surveillance machinery to spy on the prime minister’s wife at the time.