The Czech Republic’s police have so far accused 49 people of accepting and supporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Czech police spokesman Ondrey Moravchik said. Criminal procedures are ongoing in 86 other cases.

The police investigate around 300 cases related to Ukraine or Ukrainian refugees. Mr Moravchik said that about a third of the cases are the so-called cases of approval and support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“86 cases concern the praise of aggression and other similar ways of accepting the murder of Ukrainian civilians,” Moravczik explained to the Czech public radio portal iROZHLAS.cz.

The police triggered the investigation on the basis of two articles of Czech criminal law. The possibility of using the provisions to investigate cases of support for Russian aggression was proposed by Prosecutor General Igor Striz shortly after the start of the invasion of Ukraine.

According to the General Prosecutor’s Office, any signs of support for Russia’s actions in the attacked country can be prosecuted under sections 365 and 405 of the Czech Republic’s Criminal Code, which sanction the approval of crime and denying, questioning, approving and justifying genocide. Under Czech law, such acts are criminalised and punishable by imprisonment of up to one to three years.

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