In early April 2022, little more than a month after Russia’s military launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Martina Bednarova, an elementary-school teacher in the Czech Republic, started feeding her students with false narratives about world affairs: A war had never broken out in Ukraine, and everything was perfectly fine and peaceful in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, she said.
She excused Russia’s ethnic cleansing of Ukrainians and intentionally distorted the facts, saying it was Russian speakers who were being pursued and killed, and the assassinations, arson attacks, skin flayings, immolations and other terrible deeds were perpetrated by Ukrainian soldiers.
Bednarova’s language was in lockstep with the Kremlin’s propaganda.
A student covertly recorded her lesson and once the issue came to light, she was fired for gross misconduct and a criminal investigation was initiated.
Bednarova admitted having made the remarks, but insisted she was merely expressing her personal opinion. In addition to invoking the principle of freedom of speech, her lawyer attempted to portray her as a victim of Russian disinformation and state-sponsored propaganda.
The court of second instance in Prague upheld Bednarova’s innocence, but the state prosecutor appealed, seeking an eight-month jail sentence and a five-year ban on teaching or involvement in education or other work with children.
Ultimately, the prosecutor’s additional charges were rejected and the original acquittal was upheld. The final verdict affirms that people cannot be handed a sentence or penalized for having a “personal opinion.” The presiding judge said that Bednarova’s original loss of employment was punishment enough.
This case highlights the limits of relying on the judiciary as the last line of defense when it comes to safeguarding democracy. Across Europe, we continue to see instances of “dinosaur judges” enabling people who endanger national security to escape accountability. The Czech Republic is clearly no exception.
Europe’s efforts to counter Moscow’s covert manipulation through disinformation have been an uphill battle from the outset.
Disinformation and rumors spread rapidly on social media, amplified by fake news Web sites and coordinated with troll networks that fuel polarization and erode public trust in Czechs’ faith in liberal democracy.
In April last year, Prague announced it would shut down the news Web site Voice of Europe, which had received substantial funding from Viktor Medvedchuk, a pro-Russia Ukrainian oligarch exiled to Russia in a prisoner exchange.
Medvedchuk had covertly financed and disguised the site as a legitimate media outlet. Voice of Europe ran paid advertisements to exert political influence, promoted calls to end military aid to Ukraine and advocated for the lifting of sanctions on Russia.
Medvedchuk also bribed European parliamentarians to promote anti-European narratives and cast doubt on continued support for Ukraine, even backing Russia-supporting candidates in European parliamentary elections.
Voice of Europe is clearly a Russian puppet. The Kremlin’s claws run deep in European politics. Taiwan is also no stranger to manipulation attempts by a powerful neighbor.
Bednarova later headed a pro-Russia demonstration where she shouted Russian propaganda at the top of her lungs. Czech commentators derided her shouts as akin to those of a physics professor who, outdated and out of place, still advocates that the Earth is flat and continues to mislead students. Shouting from a street corner is indeed a more suitable venue than a classroom for her to express her “personal opinions.”
Chen Yung-chang is a freelance writer based in Taipei.
Translated by Tim Smith
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