Evening star., 1951-08-12

!
walls, also works in reverse -
American diplomats enjoy similar
immunity while serving abroad.
Even Czechoslovakia and other
countries behind the Iron Cur
tain in Europe have not so far
violated this immunity of Western
diplomats. Many American dip
llomatic mission employees behind
the Iron Curtain have been ac-
cuSed of spying, but they have
been expelled rather than Jailed.
Free to Travel Anywhere.
Some of the Iron Curtain coun-
tries like Romania have restricted
the travel of American diplomats
outside their capital cities and
iretaliatory restrictions have been
imposed here. But such restric-
ItionS have not been imposed on
the Czech Ambassador, and Mr..
IProchazka is free to travel where
ever he wants in the United States.
American reporters have had
opportunity to question Mr.. Pro-
Ichazka only when he arrived in
New York. Thursday He said then
he was too tired after six days
abroad the liner Caronia crossing
the Atlantic to give an interview.
But he reacted sensitively when
one New York reporter asked if
he had been connected with writ
ing his country's Communist
constitution.
Il don't call the American Con-
Stltutlon capitalistic, he was
quoted as replying. Don't call
our Constitution communistic."
The constitution for a Com
munist government that Mr..
Prochazka played a major role in
writing is full of gimmicks that
belle high-sounding guarantees of
freedom.
Rights" of Citizens.
For instance, the first sentence
Iof section 2, part /, under a sub
heading of rights and duties of
citizens" reads:
Personal freedom is guaran-
teed."
But the very next sentence has
the gimmick:
1T may be restricted or with
held only on the basis of the law .
+ This leaves the Communist die
'tatorS free to make any freedom
killing laws they want to. ~
Similarly, section says "the
inviolability of the domicile is
guaranteed" and then takes away
the guarantee with the sentence:
"It may be restricted only on the
basis of the law"
Freedom of expression is guar
anteed'' and then qualified to
within the limits of the law"
Press Freedom Has Big 'Tf."
Section 81 begins with another
high-sounding sentence: Free
dom of the press is guaranteed" :"
Then what the Communists mean
by freedom of the press comes in
the next paragraph:
Who shall be entitled, and on
what conditions, to publish Pc
riodical journals. in particular
with regard to the principle that
profit shall not be the aim of such
publication. shall be prescribed by
Act"
Section "a frankly states that
the guaranteed" right to assem-
BILE and form associations shall
be regulated by Acts"
Section 81 is a broad one that
presumably was the basis for the
laws under which Mr.. Oats was
sent to prison. 1t reads:
I'D Statements and acts that
constitute a threat to the indie
pendence, entirety and unity of
the state, the constitution, the Re-
publican form of government and
the Peoples Democratic Order, are
punishable according to law.
90 The misuse of civil rights
inadmissible."
Espionage Statute Explained.
The Council of Free Czechoslo-
vakia, an organization here of
Czech non-CommuniSt emigres,
points out that under laws adopted
by the Communist regime in
Czechosolvakia espionage" can
be committed by the least display
Iof interest in the actual happen
ings of the country.
The Council cites Paragraph Sc
Iof the Communist Penal Law as
providing that espionage is COM
mitted by the person who seeks
to learn state secret with the
intention of disclosing it to a
foreign power, or who deliberately
discloses state secret to for
eign power"
Further. the term "state secret"
+ is applied by Paragraph rs to
ftorrotryf n 1;aL