(Se puede leer este artículo en español aquí.)
Western governments have portrayed the war between Russia and Ukraine as a supposed conflict between authoritarianism and democracy. At the same time, however, some of these Western governments are imposing authoritarian policies and harshly cracking down on freedom of expression and freedom of the press, banning Russian media outlets and even making it illegal to support the Russian military intervention.
The United States and European Union have imposed a series of brutal sanctions on Russia, waging an economic war aimed at devaluing its currency, the ruble, which will make life difficult for tens of millions of Russian civilians.
The EU has banned Russian media outlets RT and Sputnik, and US Silicon Valley corporations like Google and Twitter have censored their accounts.
Numerous members of the EU and NATO, including the Czech Republic and Slovakia, have also made it a crime to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, threatening their citizens with years in prison. And fellow member Latvia has a police hotline where people can report neighbors they suspect of being pro-Russian.
Czech Republic makes it crime to support Russian war in Ukraine, punishable by three years in prison
On February 27, Ukraine’s pro-Western, anti-Russian newspaper the Kyiv Independent reported, “Czech Republic makes it illegal to openly support Russia’s war against Ukraine.”
The Ukrainian embassy in the Czech Republic made this new policy clear beyond a doubt, tweeting happily on February 27 that, if Czech citizens express support for the Russian intervention, they can be charged with support for “genocide,” and potentially imprisoned.
Чеські правоохоронні органи попереджають, що публічне схвалення російського вторгнення в Україну може класифікуватися як "злочин заперечення, ставлення під сумнів, схвалення і виправдовування ГЕНОЦИДУ".
Уже є два перші випадки затриманих, яким інкримунують цей параграф КК.— UKR Embassy in CZE (@UKRinCZE) February 27, 2022
The Czech Republic’s chief prosecutor, Igor Stříž, released a statement warning citizens that it is a crime to publicly express support for the Russian war or to praise Russian leaders for intervening in Ukraine. Stříž said those who do could be found guilty of denying, questioning, approving of, or justifying “genocide.”
A local media outlet reported that Czech citizens who violate these laws could face three years in prison.
The top Czech prosecutor claimed that the government supports freedom of speech, but emphasized that there are political limits on that speech.
These authoritarian policies are now encouraging average people to become state informants and report their neighbors for daring to think differently.
Czech newspapers reported on February 27, just three days after the beginning of the Russian invasion, that police were already investigating dozens of complaints against Czech citizens accused of sympathizing with Moscow.
Slovakia threatens 10 to 25 years in prison for citizens who support Russia’s war in Ukraine
Another EU and NATO member state, Slovakia, has threatened even harsher penalties.
Slovakia’s state media outlet RTVS reported that citizens who express support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could be criminally punished, and face 10 to 25 years in prison
The public broadcaster said that endorsing Moscow’s actions could violate section 417 of Slovakia’s Criminal Code, on “threats to peace.”
Latvia creates hotline to report citizens who support Russian war
The Baltic state Latvia, an EU and NATO member that was previously part of the Soviet Union, has adopted a similar policy.
Latvia now has a police hotline to report citizens who support Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine.
Local media outlet Par drošību reported that there are least four Latvian laws that prohibit supporting and justifying the war. These statutes are similar to those of the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
The website encouraged Latvian citizens to report neighbors suspected of sympathizing with Moscow, providing them with a phone number and email address for the police.
University in Italy cites Ukraine war to cancel class on 19th-century Russian writer Dostoevsky
Meanwhile, in fellow EU and NATO member Italy, a university cited the invasion of Ukraine to justify suspending a course on the classic Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky.
Dostoevsky died in 1881, and was in fact imprisoned by Russia’s czar because of his political views.
The Italian writer, Paolo Nori, whose class at the University of Milano-Bicocca was cancelled published a video condemning the move as “ridiculous.”
“Even dead Russians” are being censored, Nori lamented.
Under public pressure, the university later backtracked and agreed to allow the course.
Judith Stapleton
2022-03-03 at 17:55
Thank you Ben, for keeping the facts front and centre.
So from the Czech perspective, “genocide” is a crime when Ukes from the western regions are killed, but not when, since 2014, Ukes from the eastern regions were killed?
It looks very much like a replay of 1931.
Jesper
2022-06-28 at 01:00
And yet there have not been a genocide
DAVID FURNESS
2023-10-04 at 08:20
The BBC and other media outlets keep repeating this story of a Russian invasion and Ukraine defending itself. The evidence shows that Ukraine is the aggressor; they keep attacking Russia’s wall of defence. This war could be ended tomorrow if Ukraine stops its attacks.
However, Ukraine will keep attacking because the Zelensky regime does not accept the independence of Crimea, Luhansk, and Donetsk (all overwhelmingly ethnically Russian areas). Britain did not accept the American Declaration of Independence and started a war with America that lasted eight years.
Furthermore, let us not forget that Zelensky’s hero is Stepan Bandera who was a Nazi collaborator ( over one million Ukrainian Jews were killed). Bandera and his ultra-Ukrainian nationalists ethnically cleansed 100,000 Polish men, women, and children during World War 2.
Supporting Ukraine is a stain on humanity.