Czechs are being encouraged to join a “sex strike” in order to get their lawmakers to vote in favor of a proposed law limiting their immunity from prosecution.
The initiative Inventura Demokracie, launched by a students and young people seeking to change the current state of Czech democracy and political culture, is calling for sympathizers to sign up to a no sex pledge in a bid to persuade members of parliament to back the law change.
“You can write to your member of parliament and also join our video campaign on social websites ‘I won’t have sex until politicians change the immunity law,’” the initiative says on its web page, encouraging supporters to upload their own short videos on the theme.
“Desperate times demand desperate actions,” the group says in its own video explanation of the campaign presented by well-known Czech actor Tomáš Hanák and sociologist Jiřina Šiklová.
© YouTube/Inventura Demokracie (refresh your Internet browser if video isn’t visible)
A key second reading vote on the proposed constitutional change, which has won political backing from leading members of Czech political parties, is likely next week. The bill would curb lawmakers’ and constitutional court judges’ current lifetime immunity from criminal prosecution to protection solely during their term of office.
“This is great. But still, we have to remind lawmakers in some way or other, that this time they must turn up to the voting and cast their votes,” Inventura Demokracie said. ‘Lifetime immunity is a phenomenon that does not exist in any other democratic state and is regarded as one of the biggest Czech legislative absurdities.’
“Lifetime immunity is a phenomenon that does not exist in any other democratic state and is regarded as one of the biggest Czech legislative absurdities,” the initiative added. Exceptions to the immunity have to currently be agreed by parliament.
Such a change would need the backing of at least 120 members of the 200-seat lower house of parliament and three-fifths of the upper house, the Senate.
The initiative recalls that at least 11 clear attempts, according to some up to 17, to curb lawmakers’ immunity have been made without success over the last 20 years.
Early reactions to the initiative have been mixed. One comment wondered if politicians would even be impressed by the threatened strike. Another said she could not give such a pledge given lawmakers past record of failing to push through change.
