In an interview with Radio Free Europe, President Petr Pavel made a statement acknowledging the strict surveillance imposed on Japanese Americans during World War II in the United States. He expressed sympathy towards them while also mentioning that the US government had apologized for the internment of citizens of Japanese descent.
During the video interview, President Petr Pavel stated that all Russians residing in the West should be subjected to increased monitoring due to their nationality and their country’s involvement in an aggressive war. When asked about the nature of this surveillance, he clarified that it should be carried out by security services.
The president regretfully stated that such surveillance was a consequence of engaging in warfare. He drew a comparison to the situation faced by Japanese Americans in the US during World War II, a comparison that was later questioned by Radio Free Europe. At that time, the United States had detained numerous individuals of Japanese descent, many of whom were American citizens, in internment camps.
Markéta Řeháková, a spokesperson, clarified that the president did not propose following the example of the US during World War II. The reference to Japanese citizens was made to highlight that security measures against citizens of an enemy country were not unprecedented. Řeháková emphasized that there was no suggestion of replicating such measures.
The spokesperson also highlighted Russia’s ongoing aggression towards Ukraine and the state-orchestrated terrorist act that occurred in the Czech Republic, citing reasons for the president’s concerns. She noted that while the Russian community living in the country should not be monitored as a whole, the security services should pay increased attention to potential risk factors within that community. The spokesperson made it clear that internment or persecution was not being considered.
When approached for comment, the Security Information Service (Bezpečnostní informační služby – BIS) declined, citing their apolitical stance. Pavel Bělobrádek, the chair of the parliamentary commission for BIS oversight, stated that the intelligence service should operate within the boundaries of the law and that decisions regarding surveillance were in its jurisdiction. However, he acknowledged that the president had the authority to assign tasks to the BIS if necessary.
Russian media had limited coverage of Pavel’s remarks, with Moskovsky Komsomolets, a leading national daily, criticizing the comparison to the internment of Japanese Americans. The paper’s editor condemned the president’s supposed inclination towards herding Russians in the West into camps, drawing parallels to the American example. Other Russian outlets, including Vladimir Solovyov’s propaganda show and the opposition news website Meduza, also reported on Pavel’s statements.
