“We have the first name on the national sanctions list. I am glad that the Czech Republic is returning to a self-confident foreign policy,” announced Lipavský at the press conference after the cabinet meeting.
For Patriarch Kirill, this means, for example, a ban on entering the Czech Republic or the freezing of any assets in the country.
“His frequent speeches justifying the atrocities committed by Russian soldiers in Ukraine are clear evidence that led the government to this decision,” explained the minister.
Hungary blocked anti-Russian sanctions again, this time because of Patriarch Kirill
Europe
At the same time, the name of Patriarch Kirill already appeared on the upcoming sanctions list of the European Union last year.
However, Hungary spoke out against this, whose representatives have repeatedly stated that they consider the inclusion of Kirill on the black list to be an interference with religious freedom.
However, the approval of all 27 European countries was needed to implement the package, so the twenty-seventh agreed to Hungary’s request.
Brussels has specifically accused Kirill of supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and also of serving as a mouthpiece for President Vladimir Putin’s regime. In May, Kirill declared during a sermon that “Russia has never crossed anyone’s mind” and that it “doesn’t want to go to war”.
Photo: Jan Handrejch, Law
Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský gave an interview to the newspaper Právo on March 22, 2023.
The government added Kirill’s name to its own Czech list on Wednesday according to the so-called Magnitsky Act, which came into effect in January. It is a sanctioning law that came into effect in the Czech Republic on January 3, 2023. It allows the adoption of national restrictive measures.
“If the ministry obtains information that an entity that has not yet been included or proposed for inclusion on the European Union’s sanctions list has committed or is committing punishable conduct, and if this is in the foreign-political or security interest of the Czech Republic, it shall submit it to the government a proposal to include such an entity on the sanctions list of the European Union,” the law states.
The Financial Analysis Office (FAÚ) is responsible for the implementation of measures aimed at freezing assets. They will check whether the person included on the sanction list has property in the Czech Republic, and if necessary freeze the property.
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The war in Ukraine
