Racist remarks by MEP Filip Turek go unpunished as statute of limitations expires

Police have closed their inquiry into MEP Filip Turek over racist statements he made on social media, as criminal prosecution is no longer possible due to the expiry of the statute of limitations. This was announced by Jan Vychyta, head of the Prague 4 district prosecutor's office, which oversaw the investigation.

"The review of this case has been concluded with its termination. Once the relevant decision by the police authority takes legal effect, the inquiry will be closed for good, and none of the individuals involved will face criminal liability," Vychyta stated.

Police had been examining the case since October of last year, following a publication that drew attention to Turek's remarks. The inquiry looked into possible approval of a crime, incitement to hatred against a group of people or restriction of their rights and freedoms, as well as degradation of national, racial or other dignity. Nevertheless, no criminal case will be opened against Turek, as the time limit for prosecution has run out.

An archive of now-deleted screenshots had previously revealed that Turek had repeatedly made hateful comments on social media. Many of them bordered on racism and included references to Nazism and Adolf Hitler.

"Setting someone on fire is stupid, but the fact that it was a Roma woman who got burned should rather be considered a mitigating circumstance — yet here it's the opposite," Turek reportedly wrote, according to published material, apparently referring to an arson attack in Vítkov in the Bruntál district.

Police will also not pursue charges against the outlet that published the report on Turek's statements, which had been examined for possible defamation. Investigators concluded that the publication about Turek's remarks does not constitute a criminal offense.

The decision has not yet taken legal effect — it must now be reviewed by a prosecutor.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz