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A former Czechoslovak communist secret police officer who systematically persecuted Anna Magdalena Schwarzová, one of the most prominent figures in the country’s Catholic dissent, has received a suspended prison sentence,  Czech Radio reported.

The Prague 6 District Court found Stanislav Sauer guilty this month of abuse of office. He was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for a probationary period of three years.

Sauer had Schwarzová, who supported people persecuted by the communist regime, placed under surveillance and wiretapped, and proposed repressive measures against her.

In recognition of her commitment to defending human rights, Anna Magdalena Schwarzová was awarded the Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk in 2011.

The United States and Russia do not take Europe seriously because they see how divided it is and how slowly it makes decisions. Europe must therefore change to avoid becoming irrelevant, President Petr Pavel told Germany’s Bild.

Pavel, who is on a two-day visit to Germany, said Europe needed to establish its own negotiating position and appoint a person or group of people to represent it at talks on ending the war in Ukraine. He said that, in his view, Russian President Vladimir Putin could be persuaded to negotiate by the prospect of restoring economic relations and trade in the future. The condition would be a ceasefire in Ukraine, the Czech president added.

According to Mr. Pavel, one of Russia’s current aims is to trigger a new wave of refugees fleeing Ukraine for Europe.

The Culture Ministry will not provide funding this year to the "Díky, že můžem" association to organise the traditional November 17 commemorations on Prague’s Národní třída. Culture Minister Oto Klempíř, who represents the Motorists’ party, told the iDNES news website that the organisers did not meet the conditions for receiving a grant this year. The association had applied for CZK 1 million.

The organisers have expressed disappointment with the ministry’s approach, but said that the planned program will go ahead in full this year.

Czech President Petr Pavel, who is on a two-day visit to Germany, is due to discuss European security and support for Ukraine at the Berlin Global Dialogue conference on Thursday. The discussion will focus on how European countries can share responsibility for defence, maintain support for Ukraine and strengthen cooperation within NATO and the European Union.

President Petr Pavel, earlier told journalists that he disagrees with the view that stopping aid to Ukraine would reduce tensions. He warned that such a move would instead encourage Russia. Germany is one of Ukraine’s largest providers of military assistance.