Apparently, the secret service of the Czech Republic has audio recordings that seriously incriminate AfD politician Petr Bystron. The party leadership demands an explanation.
Things could get tough for AfD Bundestag member and European election candidate Petr Bystron Photo: M. Popow/imago
SEDAN taz | AfD Bundestag member and European election candidate Petr Bystron has to explain to the party leadership his alleged connections with a pro-Russian network. “We demand a statement and an explanation from Petr Bystron,” AfD leader Tino Chrupalla told the taz. He and his co-chair Alice Weidel discussed it that way. Bystron is said to have received money from the network in Prague.
Czech news portal Denik N. reports, citing government sources, that the Czech secret service has audio recordings that seriously incriminate Bystron. The head of the service, Michal Koudelka, informed the Czech government and questioned five members of the cabinet. Denik N. have confirmed this information.
The deputy of the Green parliamentary group and chairman of the parliamentary control commission, Konstantin von Notz, asks for clarifications. “There are serious accusations in the room. We hope that the matter will be clarified in detail and that all criminal aspects will be examined quickly,” von Notz told the taz.
The Czech government announced Wednesday that it had exposed a Moscow-funded propaganda network that used the Prague-based “Voice of Europe” website to stir up sentiment in the EU against Ukraine's support in the war against Russia. The goal should also be to influence the European elections in June.
According to information from Denik N. Money also went to politicians in Germany, Belgium, France, Poland, Hungary and the Netherlands. Again Mirror As reported last week, this also includes two European AfD politicians. The AfD's main candidate for the upcoming European elections, Maximilian Krah, explained through a spokesman that he had appeared twice on the pro-Russian website, but “of course he did not receive any money for it.”
On the “Voice of Europe” platform you can also find interviews with Bystron, of Czech origin and who occupies second place on the AfD European list, in which he spread his favorable representations towards Russia. Last week, Bystron called the accusation of accepting money for it “defamation” and announced that he would take action against the authors of the text and the news portal. Now they have followed up on the new research results.
Updated and supplemented on April 3, 2024 at 2:25 p.m. dr