Czech Jews who found refuge in Britain after the Soviet invasion and occupation of their country in 1968, have been threatened with criminal charges by the Prague government and fear that their families may be harassed and their property confiscated, according to the Council of Jews from Czechoslovakia. A Council spokesman told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency today that refugees here and in other Western European countries have been notified by the Czech embassies that “criminal charges” were being prepared against them for “illicit” stays abroad. The spokesman said they were notified at the same time that they could obtain legal advice from the Legal Advice Bureau in Prague on payment of a $144 fee in foreign currency. According to the spokesman, the notification and notices appearing in the Czech press made it clear that failure to appoint legal counsel would compel the Czech authorities to approach the refugees’ relatives for payment which might lead to confiscation of the property of the absentees.
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