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Dominik Feri

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Dominik Feri
Feri in 2017
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
In office
21 October 2017 – 31 May 2021
Councillor of Teplice
In office
7 November 2014 – 6 October 2018
Teplice Town Assembly Representative
In office
5 November 2014 – 6 October 2018
Personal details
Born (1996-07-11) 11 July 1996 (age 28)
Kadaň, Czech Republic
Political partyTOP 09 (2015–2021)
Alma materCharles University
Criminal information
Dominik Feri
Criminal statusImprisoned since 26 May 2024 (Teplice prison)
Under investigation (rape of another minor victim)
Conviction(s)Rape of a minor
Rape
Attempted rape
Criminal penalty3 years imprisonment
Lex Feri
Parliament of the Czech Republic
  • Government bill amending Act No. 40/2009 Coll., the Criminal Code
CitationBill No. 166/2024 Coll.
Passed byChamber of Deputies
Passed10 April 2024
Passed bySenate
Passed29 May 2024
Signed byPresident Petr Pavel
Signed7 June 2024
Commenced1 January 2025
Legislative history
First chamber: Chamber of Deputies
Bill citationChamber of Deputies Bill No. 616
Introduced byFiala Government
Represented by Pavel Blažek, Minister of Justice
RapporteurTaťána Malá [cs]
Introduced12 January 2024
Distributed to members15 January 2024
Committee responsibleCommittee for Constitution and Law
First reading7 February 2024
Second reading9 April 2024
Third reading10 April 2024
Voting summary
  • 168 voted for
  • None voted against
  • 1 abstained
Second chamber: Senate
Bill citationSenate Bill No. 251
Received from the Chamber of Deputies30 April 2024
RapporteurTomáš Goláň
Committee responsibleCommittee for Constitution and Law
Passed29 May 2024
Voting summary
  • 63 voted for
  • 1 voted against
  • 4 abstained
Summary
Expands definition of rape in criminal code.
Status: Not yet in force

Dominik Feri (born 11 July 1996) is a former Czech politician and currently imprisoned sex offender who served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic from 2017 to 2021, representing TOP 09. Feri entered politics in 2014 at the age of 18, becoming the youngest municipal councillor in the country, in the city of Teplice. In the 2017 Czech legislative election he was elected to the Chamber of Deputies, becoming the lower house's first black deputy (due to Ethiopian descent),[1] as well as its youngest member at the age of 21.[2]

In 2021 Feri, a vocal and well-known supporter of the Me Too movement, resigned from politics following accusations by about 15 women regarding sexual abuse and rape in years 2015 – 2020.[3][4] On 2 November 2023, he was sentenced to three years in prison for rapes committed in 2016 and 2018, with one of the two victims raped in 2016 being a minor.[5] Feri appealed against the verdict, but his appeal was dismissed by the Municipal Court in Prague on 22 April 2024.[5][6] The judgement found that Feri had also attempted to rape a woman within the Parliament building.[7]

Feri's case, which included prosecution's dismissal of allegations of multiple victims, led to an expansion of the definition of the crime of rape in the Czech Criminal Code, so that the legislation clearly covers also situations of rape paralysis. The change of law was dubbed "Lex Feri" in Czech media.[8][9][10]

General

[edit]

Feri was born in Kadaň, northwestern Bohemia, and grew up in Teplice District. His mother is from eastern Bohemia, and Feri is also partly of Ethiopian origin.[11] From 2007 to 2015 he studied in a grammar school in Teplice. His first appearance in media was because of his public activities in Teplice.[11] In 2015 he became a student of the Faculty of Law at Charles University in Prague.

Feri plays accordion and piano.[11] He stated that his opinions are close to those of the Czech Pirate Party.[11]

In May 2022, Feri was hospitalized with self-inflicted cut wounds to his arms and belly in an apparent suicide attempt.[12]

Political career

[edit]

During the municipal elections in 2014 he was an independent candidate on the candidate list of liberal-conservative party TOP 09 to the Council of Representatives in Teplice. Although he wasn't elected, he became a first deputy candidate for that office, despite his young age. After the leader of the candidate list Petr Měsíc resigned, Feri took the office and became one of nine members of the City Council, which was led by mayor Jaroslav Kubera.[13] In May 2015 he joined the TOP 09 Party.[11]

After an unsuccessful candidacy in 2016 Czech regional elections, he was listed on the last place of the candidate list in the District of Prague in 2017 Czech legislative election. On 21 October, he was elected to the Chamber of Deputies.[14] German magazine Die Welt considered Feri to be a successful and promising pro-European politician.[15]

In April 2019, Feri was allegedly attacked at a wine tasting event in Boršice, Moravia. Feri told media that the attackers had shouted at him "niggers do not belong in politics",[16][17] however this allegation was not repeated during the formal police investigation.[18] Criminal proceedings against the suspects, who paid Feri CZK 1,000 (~ USD 40) in damages for a torn shirt, were conditionally suspended, i.e. concluded without conviction.[18]

In 2019, Feri was named on the Politico 28 list of people most likely to shape European future, which noted that "it’s not easy being young and black in the Czech Republic".[1]

Rape allegations

[edit]

"I vehemently deny the false allegations of sexual violence that have recently emerged, mostly anonymously in social media (...) As a politician I must expect personal attacks and unfortunately also campaigning which may not always be fair."
Dominik Feri[19]

In late May 2021, Feri was accused of sexual assault and rape by eight women, whose names were kept secret by the online publishing websites A2larm [cs] and Deník N [cs]. This story was published in the two online newspapers after a discussion was started by an anonymous Twitter account, where many participants wrote about Feri being aggressive to women, in many cases demanding sexual intercourse. As was stated in Czech media, these alleged assaults and sexual offense cases took place between 2015 and 2020. A number of unnamed sources cited in the articles noted that Feri's behavior had been known in his social circles for an extended period of time.[20] Feri subsequently announced his resignation and withdrawal from the 2021 Czech legislative election,[21][22] and left TOP 09, his political party.[23]

More women came forward after the initial articles were published. This led to further allegations of Feri's sexual misconduct being published in early June 2021 by the two sites. Names of the accusers were again withheld. While the accusers in the previous article described use of force, one of the new accusers alleged that Feri had used a date rape drug on her. The testimonies portrayed a pattern of behavior whereby Feri, who had over 1.1 million online followers, would contact young women, some of them underage, often living far away from Prague, through social media for a friendly meeting or a party. The girls, dazzled by his VIP persona, would voluntarily accept the invitation, sometimes after weeks of persuasion. Initially friendly meetings with Feri, who was well known for his support for Me Too movement, with talks focused on politics or societal issues, would allegedly later turn violent and end in either sexual assault, rape, or successful escape.[24]

First rape trial

[edit]

Charges and indictment

[edit]

After the newspaper articles were published, the Police of the Czech Republic opened an investigation into the case. In March 2022, Feri was charged with multiple counts of rape and attempted rape. As one of the alleged rape victims was only seventeen years old, Feri was charged also with rape of a child (the age of consent in the Czech Republic is 15), which carries a sentence of up to 10 years imprisonment.[4] The charges concerned rapes committed on three different victims. A further investigation regarding rape and sexual assault allegations brought by five other accusers concluded in September 2022 with no charges.[25]

Feri was indicted on 13 December 2022. The District State Attorney Office for Prague 3 stated that the indictment was for two counts of rape and one count of attempted rape, without specifying which of the three counts concerned the child. Feri commented: "I welcome the fact that after a nearly two-year wait, I will be able to present evidence to the court proving my innocence. Until now, I have not been able to comment publicly on the ongoing proceedings in any substantive way, which has resulted in the media being reduced to one-sided statements. However, this is about to finally change."[26]

Trial

[edit]
First Feri rape trial
Feri at a ball
CourtPrague 3 District Court [cs]
Conviction for rape of a minor, rape & attempted rape
3 years imprisonment
StartedFebruary 15, 2023 (2023-02-15)
DecidedNovember 2, 2023 (2023-11-02)
Case history
Appealed toMunicipal Court in Prague [cs]
Libor Vávra (presiding)
Subsequent actionAppeal rejected on April 24, 2024 (2024-04-24).
Court membership
Judges sittingLenka Hájková (presiding)

Charges and defense

[edit]

Dominik Feri's rape trial commenced on 14 February 2023.[27] Before entering the court room, Feri named one the accusers in cases which had been dismissed by the prosecution, for which he was condemned by journalists and politicians alike.[28]

In order to protect the privacy of the victims, the senate decided to exclude the public during their witness statements as well as during the presentation of expert opinions.[27] The rest of the trial remained open to the public.[27]

The trial concerned the following three counts of rape and attempted rape:

  • Count 1 of rape of a child, which was alleged to have taken place in Feri's flat in Prague in March 2016.[27] The State Attorney alleged that Feri had invited an underage girl into his flat, where he sexually harassed her, stating that she was "little and immature", and that other women would appreciate his advances.[27] The child allegedly refused to engage in sexual activity with Feri.[27] He then allegedly offered her Fanta, and after drinking it, she fell into a semi-unconscious state, at which point Feri allegedly started to rape her first with his fingers, and then orally by performing cunnilingus on her.[27]
    • In his opening statement, Feri refused the indictment, stating that he considered such behaviour repulsive, and that he had never abused any of the victims.[27] Regarding the first count, Feri alleged that the situation was mutually consensual.[27] Feri stated that on the day of the alleged rape, the pair had a date which started in a wine bar. They then went into his flat, where they engaged in mutual kissing. However, the victim refused to go further.[27] Feri alleges that afterwards they slept in the same bed with no further intimate activity.[27] Feri vehemently refused putting any drugs into the victim's drink.[27]
  • Count 2 of rape, which was alleged to have taken place in Feri's flat in Prague in November 2016.[27] The State Attorney alleged that Feri had invited a young woman along with his friends into his flat.[27] Once inside, he started to sexually assault her, responding to her refusals by saying that "she should stop causing trouble".[27] The woman felt paralyzed, at which point Feri supposedly brought her to a bedroom and raped her.[27]
    • Feri refused also the second count, claiming he and the victim were a couple in an ongoing sexual relationship.[27] He also pointed out communication that he and the victim had after the alleged rape and claimed that they had remained in contact after the date of the alleged rape.[27]
  • Count 3 of attempted rape which was alleged to have taken place within the building of the Chamber of Deputies in February 2018.[27] The State Attorney alleged that Feri had invited a young woman for an interview for an internship position and attempted to rape her.[27]
    • Feri stated that the third alleged victim had contacted him regarding a possible internship.[27] He invited her into the Chamber of Deputies, where both of them drank some beers in the parliament's bar in the evening. On the way to his office, they engaged in allegedly mutual kissing in the elevator.[27] Feri stated that he later apologized for the kissing as unprofessional.[27] He alleged that nothing else happened, claiming it illogical that he would try to rape the woman in a publicly accessible part of the TOP 09 party's parliamentary quarters (common kitchen area), as claimed by the victim, while his private office was right next to it.[27]

After denying the particular rape counts, Feri stated:[27] "I certainly didn't suffer from a lack of interest from women at the time. There was a lot of interest, sometimes unpleasant. I certainly didn't have to force anything. I'm being ascribed something that has no basis in logic as to why I should do it."[27]

Testimonies and evidence

[edit]

After the conclusion of Feri's testimony, the public was excluded for the testimony of the first alleged victim, which lasted for four hours.[27]

In the afternoon of the first day, the court was again open to the public for testimonies of witnesses. The first witness was a friend of the first victim. She testified that she had received a phonecall from the victim the day after the alleged rape. The victim described to the witness that she had voluntarily entered Feri's flat. After refusing his advances, she claimed to have drunk a beverage, and subsequently only remembered snippets of what happened afterwards. The victim described being unable to move, and having been subject to penetration by Feri's fingers and subjected to oral sex. The witness stated that victim was very stressed and that she was in no doubt regarding the truthfulness of the victim's statement. She further commented that they both used to admire Feri before the incident. The witness reported that the victim had started to suffer from panic disorder, and was also particularly angry that Feri was publicly supporting the Me Too Movement after the incident.[29]

The trial continued on 16 February 2023 with statements of the alleged victims No. 2 and 3, as well as a presentation of expert opinions. The public was excluded from the courtroom for the day.[30]

The trial continued in April 2023, and then adjourned to November 2023.

Sentencing

[edit]

On 2 November 2023, Feri was found guilty as charged and sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to pay a total of 510,000 CZK (22,000 USD) monetary compensation to the three victims.[31]

Appelate court decision

[edit]

"The consequence and intent of his behaviour was to diminish the dignity of women, creating an intimidating, hostile and degrading environment. It was thus an unequal treatment of women. The convict treats women as tools for his own gratification and considers them inferior to him. He treated them as objects and his behavior was of a serial consummatory nature, with an absence of reflection."
Adéla Hořejší, attorney representing the victims[32]

During a public hearing held on 22 April 2024 the Municipal Court in Prague dismissed Feri's appeal. The conviction thus became final.[33]

Imprisonment

[edit]

In late May 2024, Feri received summons to prison. He was ordered to start serving his prison term by 27 May 2024 at the latest.[34] Feri entered Teplice prison on 26 May 2024.[35]

At the beginning of November 2024, Feri was transfered to Pankrác Prison Hospital after he used a razor blade belonging to an HIV-positive inmate, so that he could receive a preventative HIV treatment.[36]

Second rape trial

[edit]
II. ÚS 527/23
CourtConstitutional Court of the Czech Republic
DecidedJune 12, 2024 (2024-06-12)
TranscriptII. ÚS 527/23
Case history
Subsequent actionReopening of investigation regarding rape of a minor
Court membership
Judges sittingJan Svatoň [cs] (presiding)
Tomáš Lichovník [cs]
David Uhlíř [cs]

On 12 June 2024, the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic delivered decision II. ÚS 527/23 regarding petitions of five further alleged victims who had claimed that their constitutional rights were violated by police decision not to charge Feri in connection with their rape claims. The Court dismissed four of the petitions, stating that although sexually predatory, Feri's conduct didn't amount to criminal definition of rape. At the same time, the Court ruled in favor of the fifth alleged victim and nullified the police decision on conclusion of the investigation. In this case, the 17-year-old victim alleged that she had first engaged in voluntary intercourse with Feri. However, when Feri proceeded to take off his condom, the victim refused to have further intercourse. The Court held that it found "no reasonable reason why consent to a particular sexual activity should preclude criminal liability for an offender who coerces a victim (through the use of violence or the exploitation of his or her defencelessness) to engage in sexual activity substantially different".[37]

[edit]

Three months after Feri's sexual violence accusations were published, Czech rapper Hugo Toxxx [cs] published a music video titled DOMINIK FERI as a social commentary of the Feri rape case.[38]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Dominik Feri". Politico. 4 December 2018.
  2. ^ Stuchlíková, Lucie (2 November 2023). "Muž, který změnil Česko jinak, než se čekalo. Příběh Dominika Feriho". Seznam Zprávy (in Czech).
  3. ^ Rychlíková, Apolena; Zelenka, Jakub (27 April 2024). "A celebrity politician has been jailed for rape. Will Czech women be listened to now?". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Bývalý poslanec Dominik Feri je obviněný i za znásilnění spáchaném na dítěti". E15.cz (in Czech). Czech News Agency. 8 March 2022.
  5. ^ a b Vlčková, Tereza (2 November 2023). "Feri je vinen, rozhodl soud. Dostal 3 roky vězení, obětem má zaplatit půl milionu". Lidové noviny (in Czech). Mafra. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  6. ^ Prchalová, Barbora; Oppelt, Robert (22 April 2024). "Feri půjde do vězení na tři roky. Soud bývalému poslanci potvrdil trest". iDNES.cz (in Czech). Mafra. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  7. ^ Blažek, Vojtěch (31 January 2023). "Spolupracuji s policií, tvrdil Feri. Jenže u výslechu mlčel". Seznam Zprávy (in Czech).
  8. ^ "Vláda schválila novou definici znásilnění. Vynucený pohlavní styk nahrazuje stykem nesouhlasným". Czech Radio (in Czech). Czech News Agency. 20 December 2023.
  9. ^ "Ministerstvo předkládá vládě novelu trestního zákoníku – redefinici znásilnění". Ministry of Justice of the Czech Republic (in Czech). 16 November 2023.
  10. ^ "„Ne znamená ne." Sněmovna schválila změnu definice znásilnění". Echo24 (in Czech). Czech News Agency. 10 April 2024.
  11. ^ a b c d e Horáček, Aleš; Nešetřil, Roman (14 November 2014). "Nejmladší radní: Považuji se za Čecha jak poleno, jen mám víc vlasů". iDNES.cz (in Czech). Mafra.
  12. ^ Matoušek, Tomáš (28 May 2022). "Exposlanec Feri utrpěl bodnořezná zranění. Měl se pokusit o sebevraždu". iDNES.cz (in Czech). Mafra.
  13. ^ "V Teplicích se radním za TOP 09 zřejmě stane osmnáctiletý student". iDNES.cz (in Czech). Mafra. 6 November 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  14. ^ "Nejmladší poslanec Feri: Nepočítal jsem s tím, voliče nechci zklamat". iDNES.cz (in Czech). Mafra. 21 October 2017. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  15. ^ "Let's make Europe great again!". Die Welt (in German). 9 February 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  16. ^ von der Burchard, Hans (22 April 2019). "Czech MP hospitalized following alleged racial attack". Politico. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  17. ^ "Dominik Feri: Tschechischer Parlamentarier nach rassistischem Angriff in Klinik". WELT. 21 April 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
  18. ^ a b Čemusová, Tereza (19 June 2019). "Dva tisíce za roztržené košile, ale žádný trest. Útočníkům na Feriho neprokázali slova o ‚negrech'". irozhlas.cz (in Czech).
  19. ^ "Sexuální násilí popírám. Za nevhodné chování se stydím, uvedl Feri". iDNES.cz (in Czech). Mafra. 25 May 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  20. ^ Rychlíková, Apolena; Zelenka, Jakub. ""Chování Dominika Feriho je veřejné tajemství." Ženy popsaly traumatizující zkušenosti s mladým politikem". a2larm.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  21. ^ "Feri po obviněních ze sexuálního násilí rezignoval. Nebude ani kandidovat". Seznam Zprávy (in Czech). Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  22. ^ Fraňková, Ruth (27 May 2021). "Dominik Feri's resignation sparks heated debate on sexual harassment". Czech Radio. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  23. ^ Beranová, Klára. "Dominik Feri vystoupil z TOP 09". Novinky.cz (in Czech). Borgis. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  24. ^ Rychlíková, Apolena; Zelenka, Jakub. ""Další ženy promluvily o traumatizujících zážitcích s Dominikem Ferim. Problémy měla i nezletilá" [More women talk about tratizing experiences with Feri. Even underage was affected.]". a2larm.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  25. ^ Horák, Jan (5 September 2022). "Odloženo. Feriho za chování vůči dalším pěti možným obětem kriminalisté neobviní". aktualne.cz (in Czech).
  26. ^ Novotná, Karolína (13 December 2022). "Exposlanec Feri půjde za znásilnění k soudu, hrozí mu až deset let vězení". iDNES.cz (in Czech). Mafra. Czech News Agency.
  27. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa Bádal, Marek (14 February 2023). "Soud s Ferim: Kvůli intimní povaze případu soudkyně vykázala veřejnost". Novinky.cz (in Czech). Borgis.
  28. ^ Veselý, Marek (15 February 2023). "Feriho výstup? Promiňte, ale je to k poblití, zuří Šípová. Kritika zní i od dalších politiků". CNN Prima News (in Czech).
  29. ^ Duda, Kryštof; Dudáč, Zdeněk (14 February 2023). "ON-LINE: Obžaloba je absurdní, tvrdí Feri. Dívka u soudu vypovídala čtyři hodiny". TV Nova (in Czech).
  30. ^ Bádal, Marek (16 February 2023). "Muž před soudem napadl Dominika Feriho a vykřikoval rasistické urážky". novinky.cz (in Czech).
  31. ^ Vlčková, Tereza (2 November 2023). "Tři roky vězení pro Feriho. Znásilněným musí zaplatit statisícové odškodné". iDNES.cz. Mafra. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  32. ^ Blažek, Vojtěch (24 April 2024). "Advokátka znásilněných dívek popisuje, jak je Feri u soudu zastrašoval". Seznam Zprávy (in Czech). Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  33. ^ Blažek, Vojtěch (24 April 2024). "Potvrzeno: Feri dostal za znásilnění tři roky". Seznam Zprávy (in Czech). Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  34. ^ "Exposlanec Feri musí nastoupit do vězení ještě v květnu. Má si odpykat tři roky". iDNES.cz (in Czech). Mafra. 24 May 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  35. ^ "Dominik Feri nastoupil do vězení. Za dvě znásilnění a pokus si odsedí tři roky". TV Nova (in Czech). 27 May 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  36. ^ "Feriho převezli do nemocnice kvůli pořezání žiletkou po spoluvězni s HIV". novinky.cz (in Czech). 11 November 2024. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  37. ^ Abbasi, Kamila (12 June 2024). "Ústavní soud vyhověl oběti sexuálního násilí. OČTŘ se budou její kauzou znovu zabývat". Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic (in Czech). Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  38. ^ Hrách, Jaroslav (29 August 2021). "Hugo Toxxx se ve svém nejnovějším klipu strefuje do Dominika Feriho". musicserver.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 3 November 2023.
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