Deacon of the Prague Archdiocese arrested over rape and abuse allegations

A Prague district court has ordered the pre-trial detention of deacon Antonín Juriga, whom police accuse of numerous rapes, abuse and extortion. According to investigators, the accused acted against the will of his victims in 15–20 cases, forcing them into sexual acts through violence or threats of serious harm.

The criminal case was opened on 6 August, when Juriga was detained immediately after landing from Málaga, Spain, where he had been hiding — a journalist had previously tracked down his whereabouts there. The reasons for his return to Czechia remain unclear, but it appears to have been arranged with investigators: the court remanded him in custody not over flight risk, but because of the possibility that he might influence witnesses.

“I can confirm that the person you named was taken into custody by a ruling of the Prague 4 District Court on 8 August,” said court chairman Michal Dvořák. Juriga has appealed the decision, which will now be reviewed by the Prague Municipal Court. His lawyer, Vladimír Pelc, declined to comment to journalists, asking only where they had obtained the information.

Disturbing details in the indictment

The police indictment describes shocking details of the alleged rapes. According to investigators, some of them took place inside the building of the Prague Archdiocese, where Juriga served as executive director until 2022. “She expressed her disagreement, cried, and suffered pain, which must have been obvious to him... he ignored the victim’s refusal and the pain caused during the violent sexual acts and continued regardless,” the case files state.

In addition, according to investigators, the accused allegedly beat his victims, spat on them, insulted them, and caused internal injuries with various objects during sexual acts. “Sometimes I had to seek medical treatment; more than twice a week he couldn’t rape me because I was too injured,” one of the victims told a journalist in an interview. The victims’ representative, Adéla Hoejší, declined to comment on Juriga’s detention.

Property deals and land sales

Besides the violent offences, Juriga is also suspected of financial wrongdoing. Investigators are examining financial transactions linked to the purchase of apartments and the sale of land plots belonging to the Prague Archdiocese. This line of inquiry is being handled by the Hradec Králové branch of the National Centre against Organised Crime, though no formal charges have yet been filed in this regard.

Following media coverage of the case, the Prague Archdiocese launched its own church investigation. “As soon as I learned of these testimonies, I issued a decision to open a preliminary inquiry, which precedes the actual canonical trial. All of this is also being investigated by the police, to whom we are providing our full cooperation,” said the new Archbishop of Prague, Stanislav Přibyl.

Around Prague, based on reporting by seznamzpravy.cz