Prague is bracing for what could be one of the largest demonstrations in the capital in recent years, as MPs consider draft legislation critics say mirrors Russian-style restrictions on civil society.
Organizers A Million Moments for Democracy warned in a press release that “the erosion of democracy in the Czech Republic is advancing faster than we thought. We will not stand by silently while oligarchs and extremists threaten the future of our country.” The group has called for Czechs to defend institutions including NGOs against what it describes as the spread of illiberalism and authoritarianism in Central Europe.
The protest is due to be held on Letna Plain, the site of the biggest demonstration against the Communist regime in November 1989. Letna also hosted a 2019 rally against the Babis government that drew almost 300,000 people; organizers say they hope for a similar turnout.
Concerns over the draft “foreign agent” law come alongside broader worries about public media, state institutions and foreign policy under Prime Minister Andrej Babis’s administration. Campaigners say the proposals would stigmatize legitimate international cooperation, chill civil-society work and grant state authorities broad supervisory powers with insufficient judicial safeguards.
Simon Panek, executive director and co-founder of the country’s largest NGO, People in Need, told DW: “We reject the principle of such a law.” People in Need runs humanitarian, development and human-rights programs in more than 40 countries. Panek said many provisions in the first draft resemble Russia’s foreign agent legislation, adding: “This is the instrument that authoritarians and dictators use to control society. Not without reason is it called a Russian law.”
If passed in its current form, the bill would require a wide range of organizations and individuals with foreign ties or foreign funding to register as “foreign agents.” Non-compliance could bring fines up to 15 million crowns (€612,000/$701,000) or up to 10% of annual revenue. Critics argue the measure is aimed at NGOs involved in human rights and advocacy, while conspicuously excluding foreign media — a gap they say could allow Russian propaganda to continue unchecked in Czechia.
One of those involved in drafting the legislation is Natalie Vachatova, described by Czech media as a pro-Russian activist and serving as Babis’s “free speech” adviser. Babis dismissed comparisons to Russia, saying last week: “We welcome NGOs that help in the social system. But it’s not possible for political NGOs to become involved in political struggle.”
Government lawmakers argue the published text is a draft for discussion. Radek Vondracek of Babis’s ANO party told Czech Television that in a globalised world the country is vulnerable to foreign actors and influence. “We simply want to know who pays for what, where the money comes from. This is about balancing freedom and transparency,” he said, adding that foreign funding can effectively put pressure groups “on steroids.”
NGOs and legal advocates across Central Europe see parallels with laws introduced by populist governments in the region. Andras Lederer of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee said labeling civil-society organizations is a familiar tool of illiberal regimes aimed at undermining credibility and portraying NGOs as serving foreign interests. Potential fines and sanctions he called “a kind of Sword of Damocles.”
Similar measures have faced pushback elsewhere: Hungary’s 2017 law was repealed and replaced after the European Court of Justice found it violated EU rules on free movement of capital and services. In Slovakia, a “foreign agents”-style law introduced by Robert Fico’s government in June 2025 was struck down by the Constitutional Court in December.
Slovak NGOs viewing the Czech draft described it as copied from Russia’s legislation. Katarina Batkova of Via Iuris said the bill is “a Russian law” and similar to Georgia’s foreign agent act, which aimed to punish NGOs.
Opponents of the Czech draft hope a large turnout at the Letna rally will pressure the government to reconsider the proposals. Babis, who has in the past seemed uneasy about mass demonstrations, has faced sustained public criticism; opponents argue the 2019 protests sent a powerful message and hope a repeat turnout will deter attempts to curtail civil society.
Edited by: Aingeal Flanagan