From doxxing to d*ck pics: Czechia goes after online abusers

Four in 10 adult Czech women say they have received an unsolicited sexually explicit message, according to research from Masaryk University. Among Czech men, the figure is 27 percent.

Now, Czechia is proposing tougher penalties for some forms of online sexual abuse and harassment.

An amendment to the Criminal Code would make sending unsolicited sexual images a criminal offense in certain circumstances, while also targeting the publication of victims' personal information to encourage harassment or attacks.

The Ministry of Justice says the changes are intended to strengthen protection against violence, particularly violence targeting women and children.

The amendment would create a new offense covering the unsolicited sending of images depicting a person's genitals or other pornographic material when the sender knows the recipient does not want to receive it and the act is capable of causing serious harm.

In serious cases, the offense could carry a sentence of up to one year in prison.

Justice Minister Jeroným Tejc said, however, that prison would not necessarily be the typical punishment.

“It will rather be about alternative punishments, fines, house arrest or community service,” Tejc told Czech Justice.

For the conduct to constitute a criminal offense, he said, the image must be capable of causing, or actually cause, serious harm.

The proposal's explanatory memorandum says the harm could include damage to a person's health, reputation, employment, family life or other rights.

The provision is aimed at what is commonly known as cyberflashing, sending unsolicited sexual images, often referred to as “dick pics.”

The proposal says such conduct is not always covered by existing pornography offenses because an image of a genital organ does not necessarily constitute pornography under Czech case law.

The Ministry argues that the existing law therefore leaves a gap in protection for adults who receive unwanted sexual material.

The amendment would also target the deliberate publication of another person's personal information when it is intended to encourage others to harm or harass them.

That could include publishing someone's home address, place of residence, private phone number, email address, or other identifying information alongside calls for harassment, intimidation, stalking, or attacks.

The proposed penalty would be up to two years in prison.

The explanatory memorandum describes the practice as particularly concerning because the consequences can extend well beyond the initial publication. Victims could suffer damage to their health, income, business, reputation, family life or employment, it says.

The provision would also apply to attacks targeting public officials and other state representatives.

The amendment would introduce a specific criminal-law provision covering genital mutilation, with a proposed prison sentence of four to 10 years.

The Ministry says the higher penalty reflects the permanent consequences of such acts and their impact on victims' physical integrity, sexual and reproductive autonomy and human dignity.

The Ministry says the approach is intended to ensure that the criminal provision applies based on the seriousness of the act rather than the victim's gender.

The amendment would also make it an aggravating circumstance when certain crimes are committed in front of a child in a family environment.

The aim is to recognize the additional harm caused when children are exposed to violence against another family member, rather than treating the child simply as a bystander.

Meanwhile, Attorney Adéla Hořejší, who represents victims of sexualized violence, including women who accused former MP Dominik Feri of rape, calls the approach “terribly populist,” arguing that narrowly defined offenses could leave other abuses outside the law.

Jitka Poláková, director of proFem, also questioned giving the Probation and Mediation Service a role in supporting victims, saying it primarily works with perpetrators. The Ministry says the change would create a more coordinated support system.

Czechia’s proposed one-year maximum for cyberflashing is lower than the UK’s two-year maximum. Ireland allows up to seven years for harmful non-consensual intimate-image sharing, while Germany and France allow up to two years for certain offenses.

The laws are not directly equivalent – some target unsolicited images, while others cover sharing intimate images without consent.

While the changes are not yet law, the amendment must still go through the Czech legislative process before the new offenses and penalties could take effect.