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A Prague court of appeal has overturned a three year prison sentence for an officer of the former communist secret service to a five year suspended sentence. Petr Zak was involved in the so called Asanace clearance operation aimed against dissidents of the former communist regime. They were persecuted and physically and emotionally abused with the aim of making them flee from their homeland. The former communist interior minister Jaromir Obzina who ordered the operation is dead and was never punished for the deed. Former stb officers, such as Zak claim they were merely obeying orders.

Czech President Vaclav Klaus commemorated the 120th anniversary of the birth of Czechoslovakia's second president Edvard Benes, in a more than one hour long ceremony attended by hundreds on Sunday. The ceremony took place in Sezimovo Usti in south Bohemia, where Mr Benes once maintained a personal villa and was later buried. On Sunday President Klaus, criticised his predecessor's treatment by those he said "would like to rewrite history". Similarly, Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla said that Mr Benes had been demonised in connection with the expulsion of some two-and-a-half million ethnic Sudeten Germans after World War II. According to Mr Spidla, Mr Benes was a "democratic politician who had done all he could" within the circumstances of his day.

Speaking to a spokeswoman from NATO's supreme European command on Friday public broadcaster Czech TV reported it likely that the Czechs' elite anti-chemical unit, based in Liberec, north Bohemia, will provide protection at this summer's Olympic Games. NATO spokeswoman Michaela Cvanova told Czech TV that Athens - hosting the Games - was counting on Czech support to help protect against potential terrorist threats. The broadcaster reported some 120 specialists from NATO's multi-national battalion - of which the core group is Czech - would serve in Greece during the Games. Czech chief of staff Pavel Stefka also confirmed on Friday that preparations were being made, although the Czech Republic has yet to receive an official request. According to Czech TV, NATO's NBC unit could be in Greece within three weeks; the expected cost of the mission will be 50 million crowns.

The Czech Foreign Ministry has announced plans to increase personnel at the Czech consulate in Moscow in order to meet a sudden increase in the number of Russians applying for Czech visas. The decision has come on the heels of complaints by several Russian travel agencies that contend they had to cancel several group vacations because visas had not been issued on time. Foreign Ministry spokesman Vit Kolar has said that the problem resulted in part thanks to new European Union regulations affecting the Czech Republic as of May 1st.