Defence Minister insists on banning Communists

Prague, Nov 20 (CTK) - There is the suspicion that the Interior Ministry has failed to fulfil the cabinet's task to prepare a proposal suspending the activities of the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM), Defence Minister Alexandr Vondra (Civic Democratic Party (ODS) told Czech Television Sunday.

In July, the government assigned Interior Minister Jan Kubice to prepare the plan by November.

However, the Interior Ministry has said even with the help of experts and the Security Information Service (BIS) it has not got enough evidence to take the step.

The issue is to be on the agenda of a government meeting on Wednesday.

"I am not sure at all whether the Interior Ministry has fulfilled the task assigned to it by the government. I have the suspicion that the Interior Ministry did not fulfil a government resolution," Vondra said.

Last year, the Senate commission for the examination of the constitutional character of the KSCM recommended that a complaint be lodged with the Supreme Administrative Court (NSS).

In October 2008, the Senate passed a resolution that the NSS should deal with the suspicion that the KSCM violated the constitution and laws.

In the summer, the Interior Ministry submitted an analysis to the government that did not recommend the complaint, arguing that the Communists had not fulfilled any of the points named by the NSS as reasons for cancellation of the party.

The lawyers named by the Interior Ministers, Michal Mazel, Pavel Uhl, Ivo Svoboda and Miroslav Mares, agreed that it was not possible to restrict the activities of a party if it does not threaten the democratic system and citizens' rights and freedoms for the future.

According to the report to be submitted to the government, the assumption that present-day Communist party might repeat the crimes of its predecessor if it had the opportunity to do so was not sufficient for the ban.

Vondra said there was still the possibility of referring to the law on the illegal character of the Communist regime and the KSCM as the bearer of ideas in the lawsuit.

"Instead of one analysis we have four now. This is no way forward," Vondra said.

Vondra said the court should examine whether the KSCM was a successor to the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSC).

Lawyer and former dissident Hana Marvanova said the present-day activities of the KSCM did not provide enough proof and reasons for its ban.

Jiri Dienstbier, shadow justice minister of the opposition Social Democrats (CSSD), said the time to ban the KSCM had been in the early 1990s.

The current government's effort was a "rather ridiculous activity," Dienstbier said.

At present, there are no sufficient reasons for the NSS to dissolve the party now, he added.