Former communist head of telecommunications to serve four years in jail

The Supreme Court earlier this week rejected the appeal of another former top Communist and confirmed a four year prison sentence for the former Czechoslovak head of telecommunications Karel Hoffmann. The Supreme Court upheld his conviction of sabotage during the 1968 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia. A lower court had sentenced Mr Hoffmann for four years last June for ordering state radio to stop broadcasting during the violent crushing of the Prague Spring reform movement. The 79-year old Mr Hoffmann appealed on health grounds but lost. Mr Hoffmann is the first, and possibly last, top politician of former communist Czechoslovakia to be sentenced for actions connected to the Soviet-led invasion.