Motorists urge president Pavel to stop prosecution of soldiers over Afghan prisoner’s death

The leader of the Motorists party, Petr Macinka, has called on President Petr Pavel to stop the prosecution of four Czech special forces soldiers who have been charged in connection with the death of an Afghan prisoner of war. Macinka believes the soldiers acted under extreme combat stress, and a pardon would show understanding and respect for their service.

On Tuesday, the state prosecutor confirmed that four members of Czech special forces have been charged in connection with the death of an Afghan soldier who died shortly after interrogation.

The incident dates back to 2018, when the Afghan man, identified as Khan, shot and killed Czech dog handler Tomáš Procházka and wounded two others at the Shindand base in Herat province. After his capture, Khan was interrogated by Czech troops and later died.