Investigators of the Czech Police for the investigation of crimes of communism in 2024 established criminal liability for 56 perpetrators. This is stated in the first annual report published by the Office for the Documentation and Investigation of Crimes of Communism.
It is reported that criminal prosecution was launched against ten of them. Another 36 cases had to be discontinued due to the death of the accused. In the remaining ten cases, the prosecution was either terminated due to the statute of limitations, or found to be inappropriate due to the expected other punishment.
The Department for Documentation and Investigation of Crimes of Communism is a specialized police unit that deals with unsolved crimes committed between 1948 and 1989, including "abuse of power by officials." Last year, the agency opened 147 new cases — seven less than in 2023. Most often, especially serious crimes were committed by former employees of the State Security Service, as well as officers of the former Czechoslovak People's Army, who are accused of illegally dismissing soldiers for political reasons. Currently, the Department is dealing with cases related to forced eviction as part of the operation "Sewage disposal", illegal expulsion from educational institutions and refusals of permission for priestly activity for political reasons.