The Supreme Court in Prague revised the sentence of Pavel Kafka, a Czech citizen, for fighting in the war in Donbas on the side of illegal pro-Russian militants, and changed the conditional imprisonment to imprisonment. Ambassador of Ukraine to the Czech Republic Yevhen Perebyinis reported about this on the Facebook page.

“Justice caught up with another fan of the “Russian world” … In July this year, the regional court in Ceske Budejovice charged him with a three year suspended sentence for “the participation in an organised criminal group,” after which both the prosecutor and the defendant appealed. And on 3 December, the case was considered by the appellate court – the Prague Supreme Court. As a result, the sentence was changed from suspended to real. And the verdict is final. Now, Pavel Kafka will have three years in prison to think whether this “Russian world” was really worth it,” the diplomat stated.

According to him, the Czech citizen claimed in his explanations on the stand that he had gone to Donbas allegedly “to help civilians, homeless people, and work in a hospital.” However, the prosecution proved that Kafka actually took part in real hostilities against the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the side of illegal militants led by Russia.

Perebyinis stressed that this real term of imprisonment against a Czech citizen who fought in the Donbas is an important precedent, as so far there were either suspended sentences or sentences in absentia. At the same time, scores of such “heroes” continue to be in hiding in the Donbas.

To recap, according to the accusation, 27-year-old Pavel Kafka took part in hostilities within the Russian-backed DNR group in 2015 and 2016. He underwent special training in the tank unit, then served as a marksman and driver. Prosecutors demanded 12 years in prison for the defendant “for terrorism.” Kafka did not plead guilty to participating in the war on the militants’ side.

Bohdan Marusyak

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The Prague Supreme Court has sentenced the Czech Pavel Kafka to three years in prison for participation in the fighting in Donbas on the side of the militants. The court changed the suspended sentence to actual imprisonment.

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