Press Review
All the Czech newspapers today cover two main stories on their front pages: they feature a photo of a man in a pig mask illustrating reports on Wednesday's protest demonstration by Czech farmers in Prague. The other story is a sad one: it informs readers that after eight years of proceedings at various courts a murderer of a little girl is not behind bars yet.
All the Czech newspapers today cover two main stories on their front pages: they feature a photo of a man in a pig mask illustrating reports on Wednesday's protest demonstration by Czech farmers in Prague. The other story is a sad one: it informs readers that after eight years of proceedings at various courts a murderer of a little girl is not behind bars yet.
LIDOVE NOVINY writes that on Wednesday, another round of one of the most frequently discussed criminal cases in Czech legal history opened, making it twelve times in the past eight years. The municipal court in Prague sent a 29-year-old man, who nine years ago brutally murdered the 3-year old daughter of his girl-friend, to 12 years in prison. But even this verdict is not final, writes the paper.
The accused had always appealed, and also the qualification of his brutal deed has differed - originally it was qualified as murder, but another court saw it as manslaughter. The case has even appeared in parliament: last month, the Justice Minister, Pavel Rychetsky described it as "a horrific example of how badly the Czech judicial system works". Yesterday the murderer appealed again, the case will go to the Supreme Court, and it's not likely he will end up in prison soon, concludes LIDOVE NOVINY.
PRAVO writes that the opposition Civic Democrats are firmly resolved to support their only candidate for the post of Czech president, Vaclav Klaus, in the upcoming election, no matter how many votes he gets. The chairman of the Civic Democrat MPs' group in the lower house, Vlastimil Tlusty, told the paper his party was going to do it because Klaus can rely on the support of 57 MPs and 26 senators, which he considers strong backing.
This tactics might end-up in a stalemate: it might either mean that the country could be without a president for some time, or a bigger chance for Social Democrat ex-Prime Minister, Milos Zeman to become the head of state. Mr Zeman was recently the clear winner in a vote held by his party to choose a candidate. Mr Tlusty is well aware that in each parliamentary party there are a few individuals who won't vote for their party's candidate, and will try to persuade them to raise hands for Mr. Klaus.
In its section for readers in Prague, MLADA FRONTA DNES reports on a complete black out in certain parts of the city on Wednesday, due to a fire in an electricity sub-station in Prague 3. It says the city was divided into two parts - a living one and a paralysed one. In the latter, shops were closed and when the sun went down some parts Prague became completely dark.
With electricity cut off, it showed how much Prague is dependent on it. Some areas were without public transport, people had to walk home and in the evening they had to use candles. But as some told MLADA FRONTA DNES - waiting for a tram for nearly an hour in vain, they simply decided not to go to work altogether.
And finally, the business daily HOSPODARSKE NOVINY reports on children of foreigners living in the Czech Republic, who have to attend Czech schools. The paper writes that last year alone, the number of asylum seekers increased by 22 percent, and while the state is taking care of them, no one here really thinks about what to do with their children.
They are mostly children from the countries of the former Soviet Union - Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, as well as from Vietnam and China. Handling the former Soviet people does not cause such great problems, because Czech teachers are usually able to talk to them after they have brushed their Russian. But it seems to be difficult with other nationalities, as Czech schools have no money for assistants or interpreters.
