Czech court reviews neo-Nazi website called White Media, which has victimized Roma and others - charges just concern hacking, hateful content will not be reviewed
The Brno Municipal Court today began hearing the case of Igor Mižák, who, according to his indictment, allegedly founded and managed the neo-Nazi website called White Media. The website has previously published between hundreds and thousands of pieces of personal data and documents, including the e-mail correspondence of former Czech prime ministers Bohuslav Sobotka and Vladimír Špidla.
Activists fighting racism and xenophobia, including several Roma, were among the victims of White Media’s publishing activity. However, the hateful content of the website is not being addressed by the court, due to conditions set by US authorities for the use of the evidence released by them; the site was hosted by a company in the USA.
Mižák is defending himself by claiming he only rented the website. If found guilty, he faces up to five years in prison.
White Media: Neo-Nazi web targeted human rights activists and politicians
According to prosecutor Jaroslav Paul, Mižák participated in the operation of the White Media website, which for several years published the sensitive personal data of people active in public life. The victims were not just politicians, but also academics, human rights activists, journalists, and representatives of minority groups.
“The defendant set up the White Media website, paid for it, and managed it. Information obtained from private email accounts was then placed on the site. That information was obtained illegally, without the knowledge of the people concerned, the accounts were ‘hacked’. This is a violation of the confidentiality of correspondence and it concerns about 40 to 50 people, mostly from public life,” Paul said.
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The White Media website operated until it was blocked in 2019. However, by then it had published a significant volume of personal data, including copies of documents, email communications, phone numbers, and private details.
The accounts of former prime ministers Sobotka and Špidla were attacked, as were the accounts of the philosopher Tomáš Halík, politician Kateřina Bursíková Jacques, and musician Michael Kocáb. However, according to the defense, Mižák denies he is guilty of the charges.
The judge read in the record Mižák’s statement, which was taken in Australia, where he resides. In it, the defendant claims he just rented the website and is not responsible for its content.
Attacks on Romani people and other minorities, court ignoring hateful content
Attacks motivated by bias are very serious and frequently ignored. Have you become the victim of a bias crime? Call the free phone line of the In IUSTITIA organization, 800 922 922, or contact the ROMEA, o.p.s. organization.
According to Veronika Barešová from the organization In IUSTITIA, which represents some of the victims, the attacks also targeted Roma and other people active in the fight against racism. “Among the victims are several Roma and also people who were involved in promoting the rights of the Romani minority. The White Media website caused an invasion of their privacy by publishing their personal data and images of their e-mail correspondence, for instance,” Barešová explained to ROMEA TV.
The publication of such sensitive data had serious consequences for the victims, Barešová said. “On the one hand, this was an invasion of their privacy, and the publication of their personal data led to concerns for their safety. People were afraid for their physical security because the White Media website was far-right in nature and incited hatred towards these individuals. The victims feared possible physical attacks,” the lawyer said.
In addition to the data published, White Media also published videos and writing with hateful content, attacking, for instance, immigrants, especially those of African origin, Muslims, and Romani people. The website also published lists of people who publicly oppose racism and xenophobia.
The investigation into the White Media case took several years, partly due to problems with international judicial cooperation. Barešová pointed out that a significant complication was the cooperation with Australia and the United States.
“The stance of the United States has meant that more people are not standing trial today. The American authorities have determined that data obtained by their investigative bodies may not be used in hate speech proceedings, which has fundamentally affected the course of the investigation. As a result, many perpetrators are not even known,” explained the lawyer.
According to Barešová, this demonstrates the weaknesses of international cooperation in the field of cybercrime and in the protection for the victims of hate campaigns on the Internet.
Victims seeking compensation
Some injured parties have joined these legal proceedings seeking compensation for non-pecuniary damage. The amounts requested range from tens to hundreds of thousands of Czech crowns.
For example, former prime ministers Sobotka and Špidla are each seeking CZK 100,000 [EUR 4,000]. The White Media website published somewhere between hundreds and thousands of pieces of data and/or documents from 2012 to 2016.
The hearing will continue with further evidence at a later date.
