On 1 December 2022, the Czech parliament adopted Act No. 1/2023 Coll., on restrictive measures against certain serious acts in international affairs (Sanctions Act). The Sanctions Act, known also as “the Czech Magnitsky Act”, entered into force on 3 January 2023 and added the Czech Republic to the UN and EU sanctions regimes. It should serve as a national instrument for protecting human rights and freedoms, combating terrorism, and contributing to international peace and security. It applies to all perpetrators, regardless of their country of origin.
On 12 September 2020, the Iranian wrestler Navid Afkari was secretly executed. Afkari had been charged and convicted of stabbing police officers during anti-government protests. However, the evidence of his guilt is disputable. Afkari himself claimed that he had been tortured to confess, and his confession was the key evidence for his death sentence.
