A 52-year-old citizen of the Czech Republic was found not guilty and is still wanted. Previously, the defense indicated that the convict was probably dead.
The Supreme Court of the Czech Republic confirmed the sentence – 21 years in prison – to the Czech Alois Polak, who fought in the Donbass in the ranks of pro-Russian militants. It was reported by Radio Prague International.
It is known that the 52-year-old Czech citizen was convicted in absentia and is still wanted. The defense had previously indicated that Polak was probably no longer alive.
From 2016 to 2020, Polak killed at least four soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. In December 2016, Alois Polak left the Czech Republic for the territory of Donbass, which is controlled by separatist troops. Polak participated in battles against the Ukrainian military in the ranks of the so-called Republican Guard. He first served as a sniper and later became a platoon commander.
“Of course, the defendant took part in the fight,” said the chairman of the appeal board, Jan Kadlec, in January of this year, calling the sentence commensurate with the crimes committed.
After filing an appeal, the Prague Municipal Court heard the case three times, and initially the prosecutor asked for 24 years in prison for Polak.
If Polak is alive and returns to the Czech Republic in the future, he will have the opportunity to ask for a new trial in his case. In this case, the sentence will be automatically reversed and a trial will be scheduled, the sentence which cannot be more severe than the previous one.
This is not the first time that courts in the Czech Republic have convicted those who fought in the Donbass against the Ukrainian Armed Forces. In some cases, these sentences are also handed down.
It was previously reported that the Prague City Court sentenced former Czech soldier Martin Sukup, who fought on the side of the pro-Russian “DPR” separatists, to 21 years in prison in absentia.
Before this, the Prague City Court sentenced the Czech citizen Jiri Urbanek, who fought in Donbass for the separatists “DPR”, to 20 years in prison in absentia.
New Correspondent.net on Telegram and WhatsApp. Subscribe to our channels Athletistic and WhatsApp
Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.