Czech intellectuals condemn new president´s attack on media

Ministr zahraničí, předseda TOP 09 a poražený kandidát na prezidenta Karel Schwarzenberg (vpravo) sleduje projev svého soupeře z druhého kola prezidentských voleb a nového prezidenta Miloše Zemana (vlevo), který složil 8. března na Pražském hradě prezidentský slib.

published: 12.03.2013, 15:03 | updated: 12.03.2013 15:08:05

March 12 (CTK) - Czech President Milos Zeman´s recent inauguration address indirectly attacks freedom of speech and uses the principle of collective guilt against media

The petition criticises the part of the inauguration address in which Zeman said he would fight "islands of negative deviation." Apart from neo-Nazis commandos and Godfather-like mafias, Zeman mentioned a substantial part of media that focuses on brainwashing.

He later said he would not give interviews to national daily newspapers Lidove noviny (LN) and Mlada fronta Dnes (MfD).

The petition calls on the top politicians to take a clear stance on them. It says Zeman´s "generalised condemnation" reminds of statements of the representatives of the former communist regime and is "unprecedented" in the development after 1989.

Among those signing the petition are writers Ivan Klima and Jachym Topol, press commentator Bohumil Dolezal and historian Petr Placak.

The petition was sent to Prime Minister Petr Necas (Civic Democrats, ODS), Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg (TOP 09), Deputy PM Karolina Peake (Liberal Democrats, LIDEM), Social Democrat (CSSD) leader Bohuslav Sobotka, Chamber of Deputies head Miroslava Nemcova (ODS) and Senate head Milan Stech (CSSD).

Author: ČTK
www.ctk.cz

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