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.
Subscribe to 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.
-
Anne Hillerman's 6 favorite books with Native charactersFeature The author recommends works by Ramona Emerson, Craig Johnson, and more
-
How Zohran Mamdani's NYC mayoral run will change the Democratic PartyTalking Points The candidate poses a challenge to the party's 'dinosaur wing'
-
Book reviews: '1861: The Lost Peace' and 'Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers'Feature How America tried to avoid the Civil War and the link between lead pollution and serial killers
