A Czech court has handed down a seven-month suspended sentence to a former teacher, Martina Bednarova, for expressing pro-Russian views during a school lesson. Bednarova was also banned from teaching for three years and ordered to complete a media literacy course. The incident occurred in April 2022, shortly after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict, during a Czech language lesson at an elementary school in Prague. According to media reports, Bednarova described Russia’s military action in Ukraine as a “justified way of resolving the situation” and cast doubt on Czech television’s coverage.
Bednarova’s remarks were recorded by students, who alerted school officials, leading to her dismissal. The court said she misused her role by presenting “misleading information” to students. Judge Eliska Matyasova claimed that Bednarova was not simply expressing personal views but delivering false information in a classroom where students could not question it. Bednarova, however, argued that her remarks were part of a media literacy lesson and called the case politically driven. The verdict is not final, as she has the right to appeal.
The case has sparked controversy, with the District Court initially acquitting Bednarova twice on free speech grounds. However, in January, the Supreme Court overturned the decisions and ordered a new review to assess whether her actions met the criteria for a criminal offense. The Czech Republic has taken a strongly anti-Russian stance in recent years, especially in response to the Ukraine conflict, becoming one of Kiev’s staunchest supporters.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has expressed concern over the Czech government’s actions, labeling them as “Russophobic” in its 2023 human rights report. The ministry also raised concerns over the functioning of media in the Czech Republic and noted a steady drift toward anti-Russian sentiment. Additionally, Russian will be phased out as a second language by 2034 under new Czech education reforms, with students limited to German, French, or Spanish. As of late 2023, over 40,000 Russian nationals lived in the country, making them the fourth-largest foreign community.
The Czech Republic’s history with Russia is complex, having been part of communist Czechoslovakia and a Soviet-aligned Eastern Bloc member. The country became independent in 1993 after the 1989 Velvet Revolution and the Soviet Union’s collapse. Since then, the country has removed or altered hundreds of Soviet-era monuments, with another wave of removals following the 2014 Western-backed coup in Kiev and the escalation of the Ukraine conflict. The case of Martina Bednarova highlights the ongoing tensions between the Czech Republic and Russia, as well as the challenges of balancing free speech with the need to protect students from misleading information.
