Communist sentenced
The week's news at a glance.
Prague
A former Czech Communist official who was appealing his four-year prison sentence for aiding the Soviet Union’s invasion of Czechoslovakia was slapped with a six-year sentence instead. Last year, Karel Hoffmann was found guilty of sabotage for ordering state radio and TV to cease broadcasting as Soviet tanks rolled into the country in 1968 to crush the “Prague Spring” socialist reform movement. Hoffmann’s order left most Czechs and Slovaks with no way of knowing what was happening. In his appeal, Hoffmann argued that his trial was politically motivated. The appeals court responded this week by adding two years to his sentence.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Fannie Flagg’s 6 favorite books that sparked her imagination
Feature The author recommends works by Johanna Spyri, John Steinbeck, and more
-
Google: A monopoly past its prime?
Feature Google’s antitrust case ends with a slap on the wrist as courts struggle to keep up with the tech industry’s rapid changes
-
Patrick Hemingway: The Hemingway son who tended to his father’s legacy
Feature He was comfortable in the shadow of his famous father, Ernest Hemingway