Opposition praises BIS while Zeman spokesperson slams “attack on free speech”

Leaders of opposition parties in the Chamber of Deputies praised the work of the BIS counterintelligence service after it released a report highlighting the activities of disseminators of pro-Russian disinformation in the Czech Republic.

The head of the Mayors and Independents group, Jan Farský, said, however, that the work of the counterintelligence was being complicated by President Miloš Zeman, who has repeatedly refused to promote BIS chief Michal Koudelka to the rank of general.

Mr. Zeman’s spokesperson, Jiří Ovčáček, said it was wrong of BIS to dub those with alternative outlooks as peddlers of disinformation. He said this was an attack on free speech.