Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Czech teacher on trial over Ukraine war misinformation

Czech teacher on trial over Ukraine war misinformation

A Czech primary school teacher is due to face trial for spreading Russian disinformation about the war in Ukraine to her pupils.
Martina Bednarova, who until last year taught Czech at a school in Prague, told children last April there was "no war" in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.

On the contrary, she claimed, Ukrainian soldiers were murdering the Russian-speaking inhabitants of Donbas.

A state prosecutor has filed charges against her, Czech daily Pravo reports.

Ms Bednarova is accused of the criminal offence of denying, questioning, approving or justifying genocide. She faces between six months and three years in prison if convicted.

She told her class of 13- and 14-year-old pupils in early April 2022 that she had seen webcam images from Kyiv that showed the city was peaceful, with no fighting.

When some of the children challenged her remarks, saying they had seen footage of Kyiv burning on the country's public TV network Czech Television, she explained they should seek out alternative sources.

She falsely claimed that Czech TV belonged to a stable of media outlets tied to US billionaire philanthropist George Soros, adding that "we all know to whom he is beholden". Mr Soros has for years been the focus of hard-right conspiracy theories because of his funding of liberal, democratic causes.

Ms Bednarova also made further unfounded claims that openly neo-Nazi Ukrainian forces were skinning and burning alive Russian-speakers, including children. She alleged Ukraine had been running a murderous campaign of terror in Donbas since 2014, a regular theme of Russian propaganda.

Her remarks were covertly recorded by one of the pupils who played it to his parents, who then approached the school. She was later dismissed for gross misconduct. She challenged her dismissal in court, but lost.

According to Pravo, Ms Bednarova denies the criminal charges against her, arguing she was merely presenting the children with facts. The 18-minute recording was part of a 45-minute discussion, and the comments were taken out of context, she argues.

Her prosecution is one of several high-profile cases, as Russia's war against Ukraine tests the limits of freedom of expression in the Czech Republic.

Earlier this month a Czech man received a six-month suspended sentence for wearing symbols of Russia's war to an anti-government demonstration. He was fined and banned from entering Prague for a year for wearing Russia's notorious pro-war "Z" symbol as well as a patch of the Wagner mercenary group.

The man was sentenced for the same offence as Ms Bednarova.

The Czech government is a firm backer of Ukraine's effort to defend itself from Russia, and the public is broadly supportive. However, some Czechs - including the new president Petr Pavel - have warned such support will inevitably wane over time.

President Pavel, former second in command at Nato, told Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita last month that he believed Ukraine had "one shot" at a major counter-offensive.

He said it would be "extremely difficult" for the West to maintain the currently level of support - both military and moral - beyond next winter, and Kyiv's window of opportunity was this year.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
Wave of Complaints Against Apple Over iPhone 17 Pro’s Scratch Sensitivity
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
×