Sohuslav Sobotka’s assailant released from custody

The man who physically attacked a Social Democrat politician at a rally was released from custody on Saturday and advised not to leave the country or speak to the media until his case comes to court. The assailant will face a regular rather than fast-track trial since the attack is not being classified as a misdemeanor as originally thought, but as an attack on a public figure for which the ceiling is six years in jail. His defendant told the media on Wednesday that the incident had been blown out of proportion.

The man, who was heavily intoxicated at the time of the incident, approached Social Democrat deputy leader Bohuslav Sobotka and punched him in the face, bringing him down. Unconfirmed reports suggest that the attack had nothing to do with the election campaign but was reportedly the man’s way of getting revenge for the rent-deregulation that Mr. Sobotka had introduced when serving in the post of finance minister.