Jan Šinágl angažovaný občan, nezávislý publicista

Updated 24.4.2024: c

Updated 9.4.2024: Let me know when it makes sense - the judicial absurdity continues !

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On Friday, 15 March 2024 (what a symbolic date), Prague-East District Court Judge Lucie Řezáčová decided that two minor children aged 4.5 and 6.5 would be permanently entrusted to their father's care. The so-called alternate asymmetrical custody is a pure euphemism. While the father will raise the children at his place of residence a total of 21 days a month, the mother will only see them on three extended weekends and will thus not be able to interfere in their upbringing. What is she guilty of? She left the domestic abuser without his consent to protect the children from a humiliating life of conflict. 

As the children's grandmother, columnist Lenka Krejzová, sees it:

Full article in Czech>

In the final scene of the Coen brothers' black comedy "Burn After Reading", the astonished head of the CIA responds to the whirlwind of absurd situations, confusion and chaos unleashed by "amateur spies" by instructing his subordinate: "Report back to me when it makes sense."

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We have already reported on this website about the ruling of the Prague-East Court of Justice of 15 March 2024, by which Judge Lucie Řezáčová deprived a caring and loving mother of the possibility to raise her two young children (4.5 and 6.5 years old), by de facto entrusting them to the exclusive care of their father. He will have custody of them for 26 days in a 35-day cycle, while the mother will only have custody for 9 days, i.e. 3 extended weekends.

The social worker (OSPOD Brandýs n. L.) also found this verdict insufficient and initially proposed exemplary punishment for the mother (who left a toxic environment with the children due to domestic violence). Namely - the mother would be allowed to have contact with her children once every 14 days from Thursday to Sunday and the following week 1-2 hours on a single weekday. The court softened the verdict somewhat, calling it, in a charming way, "alternating asymmetrical custody".

Full Article in Czech>

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An asymmetrical judgment totally against common sense and against children !

The forthcoming amendment to the Divorce Act promises to make divorce in the Czech Republic significantly faster, cheaper and more pleasant. The Ministry of Justice has backed up its proposal with statistics. In the case of contested custody proceedings before the court, the proceedings stretched to 228 days between 2020 and 2022.

We have already reported here that Lucie Řezáčová, a judge at the Prague-East District Court, is a record holder in this regard. In the custody proceedings, she handed down a judgment concerning alternate (asymmetrical) custody of two minor children in favour of the father on 15 March 2024, which is exactly 1,122 days from the start of the proceedings, i.e. from the mother's filing for divorce (18 February 2021). Moreover, the judgment is still not final, since the judge has requested an extension of time to prepare the written reasons (as of 30.04.2024, 1 168 days from the commencement of the proceedings).

In a state governed by the rule of law, the courts are independent. They have the freedom to choose and decide without any external pressure. However, such a degree of freedom requires enormous responsibility. The paradox of freedom lies in its limitations. Procrastination - the tendency to postpone the performance of activities and tasks until a later date - is completely unacceptable. After all, nothing less than the future of two young children is at stake.