CZECH TELEGRAPH

88-year-old communist prosecutor will be amnestied?

2. 3. 2010 / Fabiano Golgo

A District Court in the Western Bohemian city of Hradec Králové ruled last week in a closed hearing that amnesties given in previous years apply to Czech Republic's oldest prisoner, Ludmila Brožová-Polednová, the 88-year-old former communist prosecutor that was imprisoned in 2009 for the judicial murder at the Stalinist show trial of Milada Horáková, a famous and respected politician executed by the Communist regime in 1950. The verdict was appealed against and will be examined by the Supreme Court, besides also being reviewed by the European Court for Human Rights in Strasbourg.

Czech President Václav Klaus warned he will veto the reinstatement of full maternity benefits, which has just been approved by the Chamber of Deputies, reinforcing his decision to not sign any bill that increases the state budget deficit. Maternal benefits have been reduced lat year as part of a government's savings effort. The law still needs to pass a Senate vote before being sent to the president.

6,853 counterfeit or altered banknotes and coins have been apprehended last year in Czech Republic, a rise of 50% in comparison to 2008. More than half of that was comprised of Czech crown bills, the rest being foreign notes like euros, dollars or even Polish zloties. Most of the banknotes were printed on ink jet printers and the total value of the forgeries uncovered in 2009 reaches about 5 million Czech crowns.

The internationally acclaimed art historian Anna Fárová has died at the age of 81, considered one of the most important pioneers in studying photography as a fine art. She was in charge of the Museum of Decorative Arts until she was dismissed by the communist regime after signing the dissident human rights petition Charter 77. Her works were published all over the world and helped project Czech photography in the international stage.

American helicopter manufacturer Bell Helicopter Textron bought the Czech company Aviation Service, which specialises in airplane repairs. Textron is best known for their Cessna brand.

The percentage of children born to foreigners in the Czech Republic has tripled since last decade, according to a report by the Czech Statistical Office. The percentage of foreigners born in the Czech Republic was 2.23 in 2008, while in 1995 it was just 0.69. The amount of foreigners living in the Czech Republic has also risen considerably -- they were 4.2% of the population in 2009, only about 2% in 1997. The percentage of foreigners in the Czech Republic is still below the average for the EU, where foreigners comprise almost 6% of inhabitants.

CZECH TELEGRAPH
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Obsah vydání | Úterý 16.3. 2010