parties
AfD leadership supports Bystron
The party leaders Alice Weidel (l.) and Tino Chrupalla. photo
© Jonathan Penschek/dpa
After reports of a Russian disinformation campaign, AfD MP Petr Bystron explains himself to the party leadership. “At this point in time” it assumes that Bystron is innocent.
When asked, the member of the Bundestag said that the board had agreed to his demand for the release of suspected Czech secret service recordings. This information was essentially confirmed by party circles. It was said that the federal executive board had backed Bystron. The MP continued to say that they had agreed to find out about further legal steps. “I didn’t expect anything else. We will not allow our election campaign to be dictated by manipulative accusations from foreign secret services.”
The government of Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala must now explain whether the publication was made due to pressure from abroad and what role NATO and the German government played in this, he added. Bystron also announced that its lawyers would request access to the files in Munich today. The public prosecutor’s office there had set up a so-called preliminary investigation, justifying this with “current reporting”, but also emphasizing that this did not indicate initial suspicion. Preliminary investigations are not regulated by law and are often carried out routinely.
“No evidence or proof of culpable behavior”
“At this point in time, the federal executive board must assume that Mr. Bystron is innocent,” said a joint statement by party leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, which was available to the German Press Agency, after deliberations by the AfD federal executive board. “He vehemently contradicted these and will put all statements made in writing.” The party leadership is committed to comprehensive clarification and calls on everyone who claims to have clues and evidence to include this in the investigation, it said. Bystron is in second place on the AfD’s list of candidates for the European elections on June 9th.
The Czech newspaper “Denik N” had reported that the MP was suspected of having been in contact with the pro-Russian Internet platform “Voice of Europe” (VoE), which the Prague cabinet had recently placed on the national sanctions list. He may also have accepted money. Bystron’s name was said to have been mentioned at a cabinet meeting, the newspaper reported, citing several ministers. An unnamed government member said, citing the domestic secret service BIS, with reference to Bystron: “You can provide audio evidence of the handover of money.”