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The Czech team at the Paralympic Winter Games in Milano Cortina boycotted the opening ceremony on Friday niight due to the presence of Russian and Belarusian competitors at a time when Russia is waging war on Ukraine. The Czech team in Italy features 24 athletes, which is a record.

Czechia on Saturday ended a 16-year medal drought at the Winter Paralympics when Carina Edlingerová took silver in the women’s biathlon.

The first elected public defender of children’s rights in the Czech Republic will be Martin Beneš, a guardianship judge from the town of Most. Members of the Chamber of Deputies selected Beneš in a secret vote today.

The children’s ombudsman is elected by the Chamber of Deputies for a six-year term. The position, tasked with promoting children’s rights in individual cases as well as at the systemic level, was established last July.

The children’s ombudsman is responsible for investigating complaints from children about authorities, overseeing the protection of rights in childcare institutions, protecting children from discrimination, and conveying the views of the youngest generation to other institutions.

During its first six months of operation, the office received 767 submissions, including 75 directly from children. Most people sought help from the children’s ombudsman in connection with parental disputes.

Thursday’s decision by the Chamber of Deputies not to authorize criminal prosecution of Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) in the Čapí hnízdo subsidy case is viewed by the anti-corruption organization Transparency International (TI) as a decline in political culture. According to TI, the refusal to prosecute the prime minister creates an exceptionally negative image of the Czech Republic internationally and clearly signals that the values of the rule of law and high political integrity are not highly regarded. The organization said this in a press release today. TI has long criticized Babiš, whom the prime minister has called corrupt.

Babiš and his former advisor, now MEP Jana Nagyová, face charges over a 50-million CZK subsidy for the Čapí hnízdo complex near Olbramovice in Central Bohemia. The Prague Municipal Court twice acquitted them, but both verdicts were overturned by the High Court in Prague. In its most recent ruling in June last year, the court also instructed the municipal court to find the defendants guilty based on the evidence presented.

President Petr Pavel will travel to Lithuania and Latvia next week to discuss security threats to Europe from Russia and Belarus, as well as continued support for Ukraine. In both countries, he will meet with presidents, prime ministers, and parliamentary leaders.

The visits will focus on security, including strengthening NATO’s eastern flank. Pavel will be accompanied by a business delegation focused on biotechnology, defense, security, and transport.

According to the Presidential office, both Lithuania and Latvia are among the most active supporters of Ukraine. Both countries also contributed to the Czech ammunition initiative. In defense, they cooperate with Czechia on NATO missions in the Baltics, and Czechia has repeatedly participated in the mission to protect Baltic airspace.

The three countries also share similar views on EU issues, the Office says. They are among the most active in sanctions policy toward Russia, support EU expansion, and hold similar innovative approaches to migration.