Unveiling former spies' identity may allegedly harm CzechRep

It said the worry of the former intelligence officers who worked for the state in risky areas even after 1989, mainly during the Persian Gulf crisis, is understandable.

"These people rightfully expect that their identity and safety will not be threatened," UZSI spokesman Bohumil Srajer said in a statement.

The release of the list of names by the Institute for the Study of the Totalitarian Regimes (USTR) and the Archive of Security Forces on Monday was "a massive violation of the general principle of confidentiality and protection of sources that is part of intelligence work, which also may have a negative impact on the Czech Republic's interests in the present world."

USTR director Pavel Zacek reacted to the protest saying that all what relates to the intelligence agents' work after 1990 has been blackened in their personal cards.

"I simply don't know whether the people worked for the Czech secret services even after 1990," he told server Novinky.cz.

Srajer said the UZSI had not been acquainted with the planned release of the list beforehand, otherwise it would have warned against the risks and controversial aspects of such a step.

He said the UZSI respects the USTR and the Archives' right to handle the documents of former Czechoslovak repressive bodies in accordance with law and with full responsibility. From this point of view he supports the principle of people's broadest possible access to the documents.

"However, this principle should not be applied at the cost of the legitimate, security and other interests of the Czech Republic and its citizens," Srajer said.

The USTR has released on its website the names of the former communist intelligence agents who operated abroad as from November 17, 1989 when the Velvet Revolution that prompted the fall of the communist regime started .

The USTR has published the agents' personal files, including photographs and the dates of birth, except for the information on their work after 1990 when the communist intelligence service was abolished. Their personal numbers and family data are blackened out.

Nevertheless, the Personal Data Protection Office (UOOU) has started to investigate the USTR's procedure.

Zacek said the list was not complete.

The communist intelligence had 1028 members as of November, 1989. The USTR has succeeded in listing 985 people.

Zacek recalled that the persons selected as communist intelligence collaborators were thoroughly vetted.

Under the Soviet KGB supervision, the agents tried to infiltrate significant facilities and institutions in Western democratic countries and in the Third World lands.

The intelligence agents also acted against the political exile abroad.

According to the UZSI, the Institute for the Study of the Totalitarian Regimes has received 13,500 files of the former communist intelligence.

The UZSI has also given the institute over 7000 files of secret collaborators, databases and registries.

The UZSI has kept only some 5 percent of data that are classified. The data on the former communist intelligence agents have been declassified.

Author: ČTK
www.ctk.cz