Czech MPs approve law that will make it more difficult for Russians to obtain Czech citizenship
The Czech lower house on Wednesday approved a series of amendments to the Lex Ukraine law, stemming from the need to address asylum issues and security concerns relating to the ongoing war. One of the controversial points of the bill was its aim to make it more difficult for Russians to obtain Czech citizenship.
The bill, labelled Lex Ukraine 7, will further extend temporary protection for Ukrainian refugees in Czechia. But, Interior Minister Vít Rakušan says, it is absolutely essential for the Czech authorities to have a clear picture regarding who is in the country and under what status.
“By mid-March all Ukrainians who have asked for temporary protection or who wish to reside in Czechia long-term must be electronically registered. Anyone who is not registered has no place in the country. That is a basic security requirement.”
The most controversial part of the debated legislation is the clause stating that Russians living in Czechia who apply for Czech citizenship will be required to renounce their Russian citizenship.
The opposition ANO party argued that such a demand is discriminatory and unacceptable. ANO MP Robert Králíček said the condition was immoral.
“Do we really want to implement the principle of collective guilt against Russians who have lived here for years? Are these people, who have roots in this country and have families here, really a threat to our security? Will we force them to go back to Russia, which they would have to do in person, to renounce Russian citizenship?”
Although the Pirate Party, which recently left the ruling coalition, also protested that this condition was going too far, Interior Minister Vít Rakušan countered that in the present circumstances, when Russia is waging a hybrid war against the western world and poses an increasing security threat, the measure is justified. Eliminating these threats is not discrimination, it is the government’s obligation, he argued.
“We are not driving anyone out of the country. Anyone who has permanent residence here, and that includes Russian nationals, is welcome to stay. Permanent residence is one thing – but citizenship is something entirely different.”
MP Martin Exner, of the Mayors and Independents, who proposed the amendment, also spoke out in its defense saying that most of the Russians living here have permanent residence permits and this gives them all the rights they need.
"We don't want to create a community here that will have Russian citizenship tagged to obligations like for example, to join the Russian army, and at the same time be obliged to show loyalty to the Czech Republic," he stressed.
The proposed bill also contains another amendment, which would introduce a new crime into the Czech Penal Code: unauthorized activity for foreign powers, which carries a penalty of up to five years in prison.
The draft legislation still needs to pass through the Senate and be signed into law by the president. Although that process is expected to be smooth, the opposition ANO party has already stated its intention to file an appeal against the law to the Constitutional Court.
