(TibetanReview.net, May18, 2016) – A defence lawyer in the Czech Republic, Jan Kalvoda, has filed a lawsuit against authorities for having prevented a demonstration against the violation of human rights by China during the latter’s President Xi Jinping’s visit to Prague in Mar 2016, reported praguemonitor.com May 15, citing the weekly magazine Respekt. This referred to a planned demonstration at the Hradcanske Square, near Prague Castle, by some 10 organisations dominated by supporters of the Tibetan struggle for freedom under Chinese rule, which was thwarted by the town hall and police authorities.
The report said that the groups had announced to the authorities in advance their planned demonstration. However, the on the date of their protest, the police sealed the square for pedestrians and vehicles, citing security reasons. And officers banned the demonstrators from entering the square, forcing them to stage their protest meeting elsewhere.
The report cited the protest organisers as saying the police had violated their right to assembly that was guaranteed by the Czech constitution.
Kalvoda has filed the lawsuit against the police and the country’s Justice Ministry. He wants the police president and the interior minister to be questioned as well, the report cited the Respekt article as saying.
The report also said that a group of senators had recently turned to the country’s Constitutional Court over the thwarted demonstration that was to take place during the visit of the Chinese leader who is seen as the most powerful leader of his country after the rule of Mao Zedong.