Privacy law may have been violated in child-abuse case

The Office for Protection of Private Data is to look into a possible violation of the privacy law in a highly publicized child abuse case. The Czech government on Monday criticized the fact that in reporting on the so-called Mauerova case the media had published the names, photographs and even the address of the three child victims. Tapes of eight-year-old Ondra, naked, bound and force-fed by his mother were repeatedly shown on television as the case evolved. Although the law does not adequately protect child victims in this respect, the head of the Office for Protection of Private Data, Igor Nemec, said the media could be held responsible for violating the privacy law, for which there is a fine of up to ten million crowns. Dzamila Stehlikova, the minister responsible for human rights, said it was shocking that while underage culprits were protected from the press, victims of abuse were not afforded the same rights.