Brno, Sept 15 (CTK) – Former Czech communist StB secret police officer Ladislav Irovsky has failed to have his year-long sentence, which he received in 2014 for beating up dissident Petr Placak in June 1989, scrapped by the Supreme Court (NS), CTK learnt from the database of NS verdicts yesterday.
The NS has turned down Irovsky’s appellate review.
Last year, Irovsky was convicted by the Prague Municipal Court which also imposed an 18-month jail sentence on Antonin Prchal and a suspended sentence on Petr Vrbicky, both Irovsky’s former colleagues.
The NS has dealt with Irovsky’s appellate review only.
As an argument, Irovsky pointed out the former legal and judicial practices, according to which his step may not have been unlawful.
He also said Placak did not suffer any serious health harm, he only had to visit the doctor once.
The imposition of a jail sentence after 25 years is an “unprecedentedly devastating” verdict, Irovsky argued.
The NS, nevertheless, found no reason to scrap the previous verdict.
It is impossible to overlook the serious character of the act of Irovsky, who, as a member of security forces, intentionally exerted pressure on the complainant, using gross violence, intimidation and threats. He clearly did it due to the complainant’s political conviction and stands, the NS verdict says.
Irovsky and the other two officers were charged with the kidnapping of Placak, then 25, when he and other people protested against the cutting of trees in a Prague park.
Placak said the StB members took him by car to a forest some 40 km away from Prague and beat him in the stomach and kicked in the head. Later, they took his personal documents away from him and left him in the forest.
The suspects were threatened with between two and ten years in prison for abuse of power.
rtj/dr/ms
