World
Czech Pre-Trial Detention of Pro-Palestine Activist Sparks Concerns Over Rights
Youssef Moursi, a 25‑year‑old Egyptian university student studying humanities at Charles University in Prague, has spent the last six months in pre‑trial detention after being charged with arson at a Czech weapons factory. Moursi is one of 11 people accused of “terrorism” in connection with a March fire at LPP Holding, a factory in Pardubice that the police say was linked to Israel’s Elbit Systems. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison.
Moursi says he was denied any involvement in the attack. He claims that two days after the alleged fire, a group of armed, masked police officers smashed his front door. He spent the first three months of his detention in solitary confinement, and now is allowed one hour outside his cell and 20 minutes of phone time per day, with visits from friends and family every two weeks. He says the police are using psychological tactics, including prolonged solitary confinement, denial of visits, and blocking correspondence, to break him.
His lawyer, Pavel Cizinsky, says the evidence against Moursi includes a social‑media post the day after the fire in which Moursi offered advice to pro‑Palestinian activists who might be approached by police. Cizinsky calls this “ridiculous” and says it is used as a reason to charge him. He also says he was pressured by authorities not to take the case and was not present during the initial interrogation and house raid on Moursi’s flat.
Under Czech law, pre‑trial detainees must have their detention reviewed by a court every three months. Moursi’s detention has been reviewed twice, each time the court deciding he must remain in custody. The next review is scheduled for early December, and the trial is expected to start within a year.
The fire broke out early on March 20 at LPP Holding, about 120 km east of Prague. No one was injured, but police say the building was destroyed, with damage estimates reaching hundreds of millions of crowns, or at least four million euros. A previously unknown pro‑Palestinian group called The Earthquake Faction claimed responsibility and posted videos of the fire, saying it targeted LPP Holding for its cooperation with Elbit Systems. In 2023, LPP Holding and Elbit Systems announced a partnership to build drones in the Czech Republic, but an LPP spokesperson said the collaboration never happened.
In the weeks after the attack, police launched a manhunt and arrested several foreign nationals, including Ukrainian, Czech, Slovak, Polish and American citizens. Of the 10 other individuals accused, three are under house arrest in Poland and seven remain behind bars in the Czech Republic.
Pro‑Palestine activism has faced increasing pressure in Europe. In the UK, a 2023 court convicted four Palestine Action members of criminal damage with a “terrorist connection” after a raid on an Elbit Systems factory. In Poland, police arrested protesters at an arms fair for throwing red liquid over an Elbit Systems stand. In Germany, an elderly man was arrested after protesting against the Israeli weapons giant.
In Prague, the atmosphere for pro‑Palestinian activists has grown tense. A collective called Prague 4 Palestine Youth stopped organising demonstrations and charity events after police investigations into dozens of its members. An anonymous 25‑year‑old Czech activist, Rue, said friends of those detained in the arson case and fellow activists are being subjected to interrogations, house raids and indefinite confiscation of devices. Rue says the police kept them awake for more than 24 hours and that the confiscated phone and computer have not been returned.
Lawyers say the individuals detained in the Czech Republic could remain in prison for up to four years without being convicted. Police confirmed they have arrested and charged suspects of several different nationalities and remanded them in custody. “Given the gravity of the case and the ongoing investigation into terrorism‑related offences, the supervising public prosecutor’s office has assumed exclusive authority to release information,” the police said.