EU state convicts mercenary for looting in Ukraine

A Czech court has sentenced a citizen to seven years in prison for theft while fighting for Kiev

A 27-year-old Czech citizen who fought as a mercenary in Ukraine has been sentenced by a Prague court to seven years in prison for looting in the towns of Bucha and Irpin. Filip Siman claims that he was just following orders.

Siman enlisted in the ‘Carpathian Sich’ unit at the start of the Ukraine conflict and boasted on social media of “liberating” the belongings of both civilians and fallen soldiers. Czech authorities charged him last month with looting and with serving in foreign armed forces.

“The defendant is guilty both due to the video recordings he took on the territory of Ukraine, as well as the statements of the witnesses,” Judge Hana Krestynova of the Prague City Court said on Tuesday, as quoted by the newspaper Ceske Noviny (CTK). 

“Although the houses were demolished and their owners may be dead, or at best left their homes, they are still things that belong to someone and cannot be appropriated under any circumstances,” Krestynova added, rejecting Siman’s defense that he was taking “spoils of war” under orders to do so.

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Siman’s case is the first criminal conviction related to Ukraine, Prosecutor Martin Bily told CTK. He noted that the court acquitted Siman of serving in foreign armed forces, because Prime Minister Petr Fiala and then-president Milos Zeman had promised an exemption to Czech volunteers in Ukraine.

Although Siman was technically guilty, “when two leading representatives of the state promise something so serious to the media,” and Prague openly supports Kiev in the conflict with Moscow, a conviction would be unfair, said Krestynova.

If the Czech Supreme Court upholds her verdict, Siman’s case could set a precedent for other cases involving Czechs fighting for Kiev.

Siman traveled to Ukraine in March 2022 and ended up in command of a group of volunteers. The ‘Carpathian Sich’ (now the 49th Assault Battalion) sent them to Bucha and Irpin, north of Kiev, for “clean-up duty.” 

According to videos he posted on social media, Siman looted both civilian homes and the personal effects of fallen soldiers. Among his acquisitions were jewelry, Gucci eyeglasses, silver and gold bars, and cash. He also took rings and berets off his fallen comrades.

Looting is a crime under Czech law, punishable by anywhere from eight to 20 years in prison, or even more in aggravated circumstances. The court sentenced Siman to less than the minimum, however, noting he had led “an orderly life” before. Prosecutors said they would appeal the sentence as too lenient, as they asked for at least ten years. 

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