Police officers must endure criticism, the Constitutional Court said. It dismissed a defamation suit
The Constitutional Court (ÚS) has defended a woman convicted of defaming a police officer. The ruling stated that only the most serious defamation should be criminalized and that police officers, as public officials, must endure a higher level of criticism. The woman’s misconduct consisted of complaining about the conduct of a police officer who was investigating her minor traffic accident. Specifically, she alleged that the officer at the scene of the accident was arrogant, taunted her, snarled, and smoked cigarettes. The courts imposed a suspended sentence on the woman; according to the verdict, she knowingly misrepresented facts and harmed the police officer. After the intervention of the Constitutional Court, the Regional Court in Prague will decide again.
Source idnes.cz/ustavni-soud-pomluva-policistka