The Czech Republic placed the first person on its national sanctions list, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, for supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It was approved by the government today, according to the list on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For the patriarch, this means, for example, a ban on entry into the Czech Republic, the impossibility of any financial operations through Czech entities or the freezing of any assets in the country.
The Czech Republic relies on sanction regimes deriving from EU law, priority is given to sanction measures at the level of the entire European Union. The 27-year-old had to waive sanctions against Patriarch Kirill, real name Vladimir Mikhailovich Gundayev, due to Hungary’s disapproval. That is why the Czech diplomacy proposed his inclusion on the national list. This is made possible by the so-called Magnitsky Act, effective since January of this year.
“It is true that for the inclusion of any entity on the sanctions list, it is a condition that it is a thoroughly documented activity that violates or threatens the territorial integrity, sovereignty or independence, in this case of Ukraine,” Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský (Pirates) said at a press conference.
According to the head of Czech diplomacy, evidence of Kirill’s public appearances “supporting the war in Ukraine and justifying the atrocities committed by Russian soldiers” can easily be found. According to him, Gundayev is on the sanctions lists of Britain, Canada, Lithuania and Ukraine.
The Financial Analysis Office 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.
According to a Foreign Ministry document, Patriarch Kirill is a longtime ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and his actions actively support Russian aggression in Ukraine. “In particular, he uses his important position as head of the Orthodox Church and, through his sermons and public appearances, provides a religious justification and explanation for Russian aggression,” the authority said, among other things, in the sanctions list.
The cabinet of Petr Fiala (ODS) in the program statement assumed the adoption of the so-called Magnitsky Act for better enforcement of the protection of human rights by the end of this year. The preparation of the draft was accelerated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Among the EU countries, France, the Netherlands, Latvia and Estonia have similar laws. The law stipulates the conditions for registering entities on the national sanctions list and the procedure for preparing proposals for the inclusion of entities on the EU sanctions list at the initiative of the Czech Republic.
